The 1.7 km tunnel on the Sibiu–Pitesti Highway is taking shape. How to work in difficult terrain
The portals of the longest tunnel on the A1 Sibiu-Pitesti highway have been completed, in anticipation of the “mole” that will break through them. However, only part of the mountain lot that includes the Poiana Tunnel is in the construction site.
Poiana Tunnel. Portal. Photo: Daniel Guță. TRUTH
The construction authorization for the Poiana Tunnel, the longest of the Sibiu-Pitesti Highway, was issued in December 2024, and the portals of the tunnel, which will have a length of 1.7 kilometers, two tunnels and two lanes in each direction, have been completed so far.
The Poiana Tunnel, the longest on the Sibiu – Pitesti Highway
The Poiana Tunnel was designed on the longest section of the A1 Sibiu–Pitesti Highway, Section 3 (Cornetu–Tigveni), of 37.5 kilometers. He will cross Dealul Frăsinet, between the counties of Vâlcea and Argeș. Although it has a building permit for about a year, drilling will begin after the TBM rig is brought in.
“The execution of the tunnel will involve predominantly marl excavation. In order to optimize the rate of progress, the work will be divided into two phases. The first phase includes the excavation of the upper gallery, the installation of TH (29/58) arches with fully injected rock anchors, the construction of a 20 cm temporary screed and the drilling of the fully injected anchors below the level of the permanent screed. The second phase will start after the completion of the first and will include the excavation of the screed, followed by the realization of the permanent concrete eraser, in sections of 10-20 meters”, it is shown in the project.
The work on the Poiana Tunnel is estimated to be completed in the period 2027–2028. On the rest of the route, the builders mobilized hundreds of workers.
“Work is being done simultaneously on 12 viaducts on the route. Work is being carried out on the Călinești ecoduct, an essential element for protecting fauna and ecological connectivity. Consolidation and embankment works are taking place on several sections. The drilling rig has been tested at the manufacturer, dismantled and is currently being transported to the port from where it will be shipped to the Port of Constanța”recently informed the Secretary of State Irinel Scrioșteanu.
The tunnel is the most complex work of art on the Cornetu-Tigveni section, the longest of the three segments of the Sibiu-Pitesti highway currently under construction. The section on Valea Băiașului is built by the association Astaldi/WeBuild – Tancrad. The contract, signed in 2022, has an estimated value of 5.32 billion lei (without VAT) and provides for 12 months for design and 45 months for execution. The first construction permit was issued in December 2024, and the second in April 2025, but currently work can only be done partially on the route.
“The project includes the construction of 37.40 kilometers of highway as follows: 52 bridges and passages, an ecoduct, a tunnel, two road junctions, two service spaces and a maintenance and coordination center”showed the National Road Infrastructure Administration Company.
The mountain highway connects Valea Oltului with Argeș
The route starts on the left bank of the Olt, in the area of the Cornet monastery, from where the highway enters the Băiașului Valley, where a road junction is provided. The road continues along the valley and DJ 703M. At Poiana, the highway will cross Dealul Frăsinet through the 1.7-kilometer tunnel, then it will pass by the towns of Sălătrucu, Văleni, Șuici, Rudeni, Ceparii Pâmăteni, Bârsești and Ceparii Ungureni, until Tigveni, where the node that will ensure the connection with DN 73C is planned.
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Poiana Tunnel Autostrada Sibiu Pitesti Photo Daniel Guță THE TRUTH (1) JPG
Completion of Section 3 is expected in 2028–2029, depending on the duration of the review of the environmental agreement and the obtaining of building permits for the rest of the route. According to the National Road Infrastructure Administration Company, the execution stage has reached about 10 percent, and so far two construction permits have been issued for about 25 kilometers of the route.
“For the next authorization stages, it is necessary to review the environmental agreement and carry out additional expropriations”the CNAIR report shows.
The A1 Sibiu–Pitesti highway has a total length of 122 kilometers (without the Sibiu belt). The route was divided into five sections, for which the Romanian state and the builders signed design and execution contracts in the period 2019–2022.
Until now, Section 1 Sibiu–Boita (14 kilometers) and Section 5 Curtea de Argeș–Pitești (30 kilometers) have been opened to road traffic. The other three sections, between Boita and Curtea de Argeș, are in the construction site and have a completion date of 2027-2028.
The length of the three highway segments that cross the Olt Valley and Băiașului Valley, passing through the counties of Sibiu, Vâlcea and Argeș, is approximately 80 kilometers. Nine tunnels were designed along the entire route, with a total length of almost 8.5 kilometers. Seven of them will be built on Valea Oltului, on Lot 2 Boita-Cornetu.
