Unirii Highway: The Road Investment Company takes a decisive step in the 1.2 billion euro contract that LEA wanted to terminate
The 38 -kilometer montane section on the “Unirii” A8 Highway between Ditrău and Grinţieș received the order to start the works from the road investment company on Monday, after two weeks ago the builder had asked for the contract of 1.2 billion euros.
The issuance of the order to start the works is practically equivalent, with the construction of the builder to continue on the contract that he signed, establishing an official start date from which possible penalties for not realizing the works will be calculated.
The National Road Investment Company (CNIAR) announces on Monday that it has issued the start order and has established that June 30, from which the contractual duration of 54 months is calculated.
“We issued, today, the order for starting the design of the longest batch of the Unirii-A8 highway. The association is in front of a technical challenge, the 2A Ditrău-Grintieș lot being one of the most difficult highway lots in Romania,” said CNIR director Gabriel Budescu.
According to the contract, the location will be made available within a maximum of 14 months from the date of the design activity, either in full or separate for each works sector.
“After the builder performs the identification in the field and presents the technical solutions that he wants to put into opera, including possible changes to those in the feasibility study, we will be able to analyze any deviations from the identified expropriation corridor and we will submit the draft Government Decision for additional expropriations,” said the general manager of CNIR, Gabriel Budescu.
OMB, in conflict with CNIR on two mountain contracts in A8
RAM started a conflict with CNIR just on two sections of the Unirii A8 Highway. Specifically, for weeks ago, RAM asked, on the one hand, to terminate a contract already signed at the end of March for 1.2 billion euros for the 2A Ditrău-Grinţieș section, and, on the other hand, the exit from the auction procedure, where the only 1m billion offered was declared.
Among other reasons, the builder claims that he was refused the request to pay a smaller guarantee of good works than the one stipulated in the documents auctioned, according to hotnews.ro sources.
Specifically, the builder announced its intention to constitute a good execution of 0.5% of the total value of the contract, compared to 1.5%, as it appears in the documentation and on the basis of which it won the competitive procedure.
In both cases, CNIR refused the request after requesting a point of view from the specialized direction in European projects in the Ministry of Transport.
Meanwhile, RAM transmitted, two days later, to CNIR that it paid in the account and the difference of money for the guarantee of good execution in the amount of 1.5%.
Surprise on the Unirii Highway: the offers were submitted on the most important section of Moldova, but the list is missing from the
One of the most expensive highway contracts in Romania
The contract is for the design and execution of the Lot 2A Ditrău-Grinţieș, the longest batch of the “Unirii” highway -A8-a contract of 6.14 billion lei (excluding VAT), ie almost 1.2 billion euros-was signed in March with its association & on Construct (leader)-Tehnostrade SRL-Euro Asphalt Doo-Spedition. The association led by the RAM was the only builder who submitted a tender.
At that time the signed contract had become the most expensive for a highway batch in Romania. The previous record had been established by section 3 of A1 Sibiu – Pitești (37.4 km), where the signed contract is 5.3 billion lei, ie about 1.06 billion euros. Subsequently, the record was taken over by the section of the Transylvania highway containing the Meseș tunnel – 1.32 billion euros.
SA & on Construct, Tehnostrade and Spedition PLUM are all companies part of the Business Man Dorinel Umbrărescu, one of the most active road builders in the country.
The Ditrău – Grinţieș lot has a length of 37.9 kilometers and passes through the counties of Harghita and Neamț.
The association made up of builders from Romania and Bosnia – Herzegovina has a term of 54 months, of which 14 months for the design stage and 40 months the execution time.
In other words, if the start order will be given in the first half of this year, the design should be ready in summer-autumn 2026, and the construction of the highway will have to be finished at the end of 2029 or beginning of 2030.
Video – where the longest mountain lot will pass: A8:
19 tunnels, 63 viaducts
The project of the Lot 2A Ditrău-Grintieș has a high technical complexity because it includes major works of art (bridges, passages, viaducts, tunnels):
- 19 tunnels
- 63 bridges and viaducts
The total length of the tunnels and viaducts (21 km) represents 57% of the length of the entire lot.
On the route of the 2A lot there is a road knot in Ditrău (connection with DN 12 in Harghita county), and to the east, in Neamț county, connection with Lot 2 B Grinţieș -pipirig, a provisional download to ensure the independent operation of this lot.
The stage of all sections on the “Unirii” Highway A8
The A8 highway has a total of 11 sections, in different stages of implementation, and at this time only two are working.
The A8 section of Târgu Mureș in Miercurea Nirajului (24.4 km) is currently in the construction phase: the Turkish company Nurol signed the contract in the spring of 2024, with the completion period of 2026.
Further, from Sărățeni to Pipirig (Neamț county), A8 was divided into four mountain lots, all being auctioned, and some already contracted.
The Sărățeni-Pipirig Mountain section on the Unirii 8 Highway has a length of 116 kilometers and includes four lots:
- Lot 1 C Sărăţeni-Joseni (32.4 km)-contract awarded RAM (1 billion euros)
- Lot 1 D Joseni-CiRău (14.4 km.)
- Lot 2 A Ditrău-Grinţieș (37.9 km)-1.2 billion euro contract signed with RAM.
- Lot 2 B Grinţieș-Pipirig (31.5 km.)
On the route of the four lots in Mureș, Harghita and Neamț counties, there are 38 tunnels and 183 bridges, passages and viaducts.
The deadlines are 54 months (14 months design and 40 months execution) for lots 1 C, 2 A and 2 B, and for lot 1 D, 34 months (10 months design and 24 execution).
Further, from Pipirig to Leghin (19.3km), the contract was signed in January for half a billion euros, also with RUM.
For the TG Neamț section (Leghin) – Moțca (DN2), in almost 30 km long, the contract was also signed at the end of September 2023, and this year they started the first works.
From Moțca (DN2) to Târgu Frumos, the tender was launched in January for a batch of 27 km, estimated to cost about 1.2 billion euros.
The next section, beautiful TG – Lețcani (west of Iași), was also auctioned in February: 1 billion euros, for almost 29 kilometers of highway and 13 kilometers of connecting road.
The last section, which will bypass Iasi and will reach the border with the Republic of Moldova to the new bridge over Prut from Ungheni, was also auctioned: 1.8 billion euros for 33 kilometers of highway with eight tunnels and three road knots.
