The Oradea-Arad express road should be built sooner. Bolojan: “There is an intention of the builders to start the works at their expense faster”
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan stated on Friday that there is a possibility that the Oradea-Arad express road will be built earlier than the official schedule, if the construction companies will start the works at their own expense, considering that the state cannot make payments in 2026.
Ilie Bolojan says that the Oradea-Arad express road can be built faster PHOTO: Mediafax
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan stated, at the construction site of the A3 highway in Bihor county, that the Oradea-Arad express road could be completed faster than expected, if the builders assume the initial financing.
“It's uin an important project for the western part of Romania, but the beginning of which we are not in a position to discuss in the next period. (…) I understand from the discussions I had with the colleagues who lead the CNAIR that there is an intention of the builders to start the works at their own expense faster“, the prime minister explained, according to Agerpres.
He emphasized that the state cannot make payments next year, but if the company and CNAIR reach an agreement, the works could start in 2026.
“We can find a formula by which the works will start during next year, but we do not have the possibility to make payments during next year. But if the builders and the company find this arrangement, the faster the work on the strategic projects starts and ends, the more (…) it is also a win for the expenses, because, mind you, we no longer update expenses, we no longer index amounts that are started, so there are direct financial gains for the state, for the Ministry of Transport, but there are also gains for people who they use an infrastructure faster“said Bolojan.
Budget constraints and delayed work
The prime minister recalled that the order to start the works was pushed until the spring of 2027, due to the massive overcontracting in the investment projects.
“Please consider that we had more than 28 billion euros from PNRR on European funds and we signed contracts worth 47 billion euros, so more than 20 billion euros in addition, which makes the financing of all these works not possible in the current context of financial constraints“, said Bolojan.
He explained that all projects that have not already started will be scheduled after 2026, to avoid blocking ongoing investments.
“It is important for us that the works that are started today have funding. Practically, all the budgetary space that Romania has is currently occupied by started works and some of them, we have to stagger them according to a certain criterion of priorities“, added the prime minister.
In September, CNAIR postponed the start of works on the expressway, citing the lack of funds necessary for co-financing and reorganization of the execution.
The Oradea-Arad express road has been allocated European funding and is in an advanced stage of planning, but field work has not yet started.
Technical data of the Oradea-Arad Express Road
The project provides for 120.1 kilometers of expressway with four lanes, divided into three lots:
Lot 1: Oradea – Salonta (33.7 km) + connection with DN 79 Salonta (5.3 km). Contract awarded by the association Precon Transilvania SRL – Automagistral Pivden SRL, signed on May 15, 2025. Value: 2.32 billion lei (without VAT). It includes 32 works of art, including a passage of 727 m.
Lot 2: Salonta – Chişinău Criş (39.7 km) + connection with the Hungarian border (10 km).
Lot 3: Chişinău Criş – Arad (47 km) + connecting road to the Arad West industrial area (2.9 km).
The contracts for all the lots have already been signed, but it remains uncertain when the work will actually start on the ground.
