The Robești Tunnel and the Boița viaduct, the key points of the highway on the Olt Valley. Can the section be ready in 2028?

Robești tunnel, the second yard of the highway on the Olt Valley, next to the Boița Viaduct, was recently opened, but many Romanians are doubted that the section of over 31 kilometers from the defile can be finalized within the term provided in the contract: the year 2028.

Robești tunnel, southern portal. Photo: Daniel Guță. TRUTH

Valea Oltului, between the cities of Sibiu and Râmnicu Vâlcea, is crossed by one of the busiest roads in Romania – the national road 7. Daily, thousands of cars are slipping through the Olt Gorge, crossing the Carpathian Mountains on one of the oldest communication paths on the territory of the country.

The Olt Valley will remain crowded

The villages in Valea Oltului are strolled on one side and the other of the river, in the few places where the relief allowed the establishment of settlements. In the past, they were at the mercy of nature, exposed to the risk of being devastated by the floods of Olt. The situation has changed with the hydropower arrangements in the gorge, which provided protection in front of the waters.

However, the biggest problem of the locals remains the suffocating traffic on the DN7, a dangerous road because of the steep slopes, the risk of landslides and stones. Over time, localities like Lazaret became almost deserted, and in others the old buildings on the edge of the national road were abandoned. Some locals, more entrepreneurs, have managed to take advantage of the agglomeration in the gorge.

“We sell cheese, syrups and other traditional products, on the side of the road, where the drivers can park. But to get out of parking or return the car you need a lot of patience.” says a trader from Lazaret, the place where an ecoduct will be erected.

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Sibiu Pitești highway on the Olt Valley Photo Daniel Guță Adevărul (38) JPG

Above the national road, since the summer of 2024, when a strip of forests was cleared, and the site road was arranged, part of the future route of the Sibiu – Pitesti highway, between Boița and Cornetu. Since then, on some portions, only the bears have made their presence felt, leaving their traces on the roads of forests.

The new highway will escape the drivers and locals from the traffic problems on the Olt Valley, but few Romanians are confident that the works will be carried out until 2028, the deadline established in the contract.

Robești tunnel, the second work front of the highway

The works on the Robești tunnel, the second open site on the Olt Valley for the future Sibiu -Pitești highway (A1), started last days.

The tunnel, with a length of about 900 meters, is part of the Boița -Cornetu section (31 kilometers) and represents its second working front, after the Boița viaduct, 650 meters, under construction from the summer of 2024.

Recently, the builders of the section have started excavations and prepare the platforms for four other viaducts in the Boița area, at the entrance to the defile. For the rest of the route, the necessary authorizations have not yet been obtained, so that the works can advance only about five kilometers of the more than 30 kilometers of the section on the Olt Valley.

The Boița -Cornetu section will pass over the Olt Valley, entering Boița village and leaving it after Lake Cornetu, where the route turns to Curtea de Argeș, following the Băiaș Valley. It is considered the most difficult section of the Sibiu -Pitesti highway, of which two sections are unfinished, with a total length of about 40 kilometers.

Between Boița and Cornetu will be built 49 bridges and viaducts, seven tunnels with lengths between 250 and 1,590 meters (having a total of 4,920 meters), an ecoduct for large mammals, in the area of Lazaret, a maintenance and coordination center, as well as a service space.

The contract for the works was signed in February 2022, between the Romanian state and the association of the mapa ticaret as – Centgiz Sâtat Sanayi Ve Ticaret (Turkey), has a value of over 4.2 billion lei, excluding VAT and, as a deadline, the year 2028.

31 miles of mountain highway, wait in three years

While the officials of the Ministry of Transport have often been optimistic that the works on the Sibiu – Pitești highway will be inaugurated in 2028, the site on the Olt Valley continues to arouse doubts to many Romanians.

“If in a year they could not complete the viaduct from Boița, it seems quite uncertain to me 2028 for the completion of the entire lot 2, with 7 tunnels and 49 bridges.writes one of the drivers, on a social network.

Others remember that the lack of construction authorization throughout the site and the advance of the works on the Boița viaduct, where physical progress has not yet exceeded 50 percent, do not give them reasons to be optimistic.

“Maybe in 2035 we will see this lot ready. If a viaduct lasts two years, guess how long the Turks will take so many viaducts and a few more tunnels?”another Romanian asks.

Even with a huge mobilization, of 1,000 workers focused only on a single viaduct, it would take at least two years, adds someone else.

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Sibiu Pitești highway on the Olt Valley Photo Daniel Guță Adevărul (3) JPG

“First, the freshly poured concrete, even if it seems strengthened, does not immediately reach the resistance designed. Only after about 14 days it reaches about 70 percent of the final resistance. This is also the reason why, in all works of art, the segments are poured in a row (foundation, skirts, capitel, reassembly appliances, Waterproofing. he explains.

He recalls that 14 tunnel galleries will have to be made, each with “one -way” and 98 superstructures, one for each direction, for the 49 bridges and passages.

“The viaduct must be ready in 2027, I hope it is ready then! The rest of four viaducts and the tunnel that were authorized this year must be ready in 2028. If, for the rest of the lot, the building permit will be given and their term will be 2030, I have to wait in 2030. he adds.

The highway that crosses the Carpathians

The A1 Sibiu – Pitești highway has a length of 122 kilometers (without the Sibiu Belt). Its route was divided into five sections, for which the Romanian state and the builders signed design and execution contracts during 2019-2022.

So far, section 1 Sibiu – Boița, 14 kilometers, and recently, section 5 Curtea de Argeș – Pitesti, 30 kilometers, have been opened. Three other sections, which will mostly cross the Olt Gorge, between the localities of Boița and Curtea de Argeș, are in the site and have a deadline between 2027-2028. They total about 79 kilometers.

The Sibiu – Pitești highway, part of the A1 Nădlac – Bucharest highway (580 kilometers) is the first to cross the Carpathian Mountains and will ensure, on the territory of Romania, the connection on the East -West axis (Constanța -Nădlac).