The construction site of the longest section of the Sibiu – Pitesti Highway: how the first ecoduct and the Poiana Tunnel are being worked on
The first ecoduct from the Olt Valley takes shape on the Cornetu – Tigveni lot, part of the A1 Sibiu – Pitesti mountain highway. Viaducts and bridges were erected on the route, and the builders of the Poiana tunnel, 1.8 kilometers long, are waiting for the TBM machine to be brought in to start the excavation.
The ecoduct from Valea Oltului in the construction site. Photo by Daniel Guță. TRUTH
On Valea Oltului, DN 7 Sibiu – Râmnicu Vâlcea remained one of the most congested national roads in Romania, waiting for the approximately 80 kilometers of the A1 mountain highway, under construction between the localities of Boita, in Sibiu County, and Curtea de Argeș.
Agglomeration in the Olt Valley
Road traffic is hampered in the Oltului Gorge, from Boita to Mănăstirea Cozia, in Vâlcea county, also due to slope protection works.
They are estimated to last until June 15, and during this period the movement of heavy vehicles, over 7.5 tons, is restricted from Monday to Saturday, between 08:00 and 17:30.
In the areas where works are taking place, cars travel alternately, on a single lane of DN 7, and after 17:30 queues are frequently formed, due to the large number of trucks returning to the approximately 50 kilometers of the gorge.
Both the works on the slopes and those on the Călinești ecoduct in the Racovița commune area, the first of the two ecoducts on the Olt Valley, built on the future mountain highway, impose traffic restrictions.
The ecoduct entered the construction site in the summer of 2025, being part of Section 3 Cornetu – Tigveni, 37 kilometers long, of the Sibiu – Pitesti Motorway. The foundations and some of the structures of the future “bridge for animals”, in the Cozia National Park, have been completed, and dozens of workers and machines are mobilized on the construction site on both banks of the Olt.
Ecoducts on the Olt Valley
The Călinești Ecoduct is being built near the Cornet Monastery, in Vâlcea County, on the banks of the Olt river, and the future Cornetu road junction, which will connect DN 7 with the highway and Sections 2 Boita – Cornetu and 3 Cornetu – Tigveni of the Sibiu – Pitesti Highway.
The passage will have a minimum width of 100 meters and a length of more than 300 meters. It will cross the national road, the CF 201 railway and the Olt river, in the area of km 45+300 – 45+750, north of Călinești, approximately 300 meters south of the DJ 703M bridge. The construction of the ecoduct from Călinești is estimated for the beginning of 2027.
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Sibiu Pitesti Autostrada construction site Călinești Ecoduct Photo Daniel Guță THE TRUTH (8) JPG
On Section 2 Boita – Cornetu, with a length of 31 kilometers, another ecoduct, with similar dimensions, will enter the construction site, at the exit from the village of Lazaret, towards Râmnicu Vâlcea. The two constructions will cross the national road DN 7, the Olt river and the railway in the gorge.
“The two ecoducts, from Călinești and from the south of the Lazaret locality, represent a minimum measure to ensure and restore ecological connectivity in the area of the existing barriers, contributing to avoiding a significant cumulative impact on the biodiversity elements of the Frumoasa, Făgăraș and Cozia sites”the highway project shows.
The builders are waiting for the “mole” for the Poiana Tunnel
The Poiana tunnel, with a length of almost 1.8 kilometers, is the most anticipated construction on the Cornetu – Tigveni section. The construction permit for the longest tunnel of the Sibiu – Pitesti Motorway was issued in December 2024, and the portals have been completed so far.
New highways emptying national roads and threatening roadside businesses
In January 2026, the TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine), used to dig long tunnels, was brought to Constanța Port. From here, its components were transported to Călărași, for pre-assembly. The Poiana Tunnel will cross the Frasinet Hill, between the counties of Vâlcea and Argeș. The work on the Poiana Tunnel is estimated to be completed between 2027 and 2028. On the rest of the route, the builders have mobilized hundreds of workers and machines.
“The association of Italian and Romanian builders, Webuild – Tancrad, operates with 1,500 workers and operators, supported by more than 300 heavy machines. At this moment, the activity is carried out simultaneously in several areas of this mountain section, in length of 37.4 kilometers: work is being done on 15 of the 54 structures provided on the route, the platform necessary to launch the TBM, the giant machine for tunnels, which will start the construction of the Poiana Tunnel, in the area of the Sibiu portal, work is underway on the ecoduct in the area of Racovița. The construction of the reinforcement casings for the prefabricated segments of the tunnel, as well as the beams produced directly in the factories specially located on the site, in the areas of Racovița and Cepari, is progressing”. recently informed Cristian Pistol, director of the National Road Infrastructure Administration Company.
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Sibiu Pitesti Motorway construction site, Poiana tunnel area Photo Daniel Guță THE TRUTH (19) jpg
The Cornetu – Tigveni highway section, which passes through the north of the Cozia National Park, is being built by the Astaldi/Webuild – Tancrad association, with funding from the Transport Program.
Over five billion lei invested in the Cornetu – Tigveni section
The contract, signed in 2022, has an estimated value of 5.34 billion lei, excluding VAT, and provided 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.
“For the next authorization stages, it is necessary to review the environmental agreement and carry out additional expropriations”, shows CNAIR.
The project involves the construction of 37.4 kilometers of highway, with 52 bridges and overpasses, an ecoduct, a tunnel, two road junctions, two service spaces and a maintenance and coordination center. The route starts on the left bank of Olt, in the area of the Cornet Monastery, from where the highway enters the Băiașului Valley, where a road junction is provided.
The most complex highway interchange is taking shape. “It will have numerous bridges, passages and even viaducts, on three levels”
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.
Completion of Section 3 is expected between 2028 and 2029, depending on the duration of the review of the environmental agreement and the obtaining of building permits for the rest of the route. To date, two construction permits have been issued for approximately 25 kilometers of the route.
“Progress on this important road infrastructure contract in Romania has exceeded the 12 percent threshold. The Cornetu – Tigveni section is one of the two important sections that will effectively cross the Carpathians, ensuring continuous traffic on the Pan-European Corridor 4, which transits Romania, Constanța – Nădlac, until the end of 2029”, informed Cristian Pistol.
Ten kilometers of the Mountain Highway, ready in 2026
The A1 Sibiu – Pitesti highway has a total length of 122 kilometers, excluding the Sibiu belt. The route was divided into five sections, for which the Romanian state and the builders signed design and execution contracts between 2019 and 2022.
So far, Section 1 Sibiu – Boita, 14 kilometers long, and Section 5 Curtea de Argeș – Pitești, 30 kilometers long, have been opened to road traffic. The other three sections, between Boita and Curtea de Argeș, are in the construction site. Section 4, between Tigveni and Curtea de Argeș, could be inaugurated in 2026, with the physical stage of the works on the 10 kilometers exceeding 90 percent.
On Section 2 Boita – Cornetu and on Section 3 Cornetu – Tigveni, which total 70 kilometers, the works are at the beginning and have a completion date of 2028 – 2029.
The mountain highway crosses the Oltului Valley and the Băiașului Valley, through the counties of Sibiu, Vâlcea and Argeș. Nine tunnels were designed along its 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.
