The giant “mole” that will pierce the Carpathians. The largest drilling machine in Romania goes into action on the Sibiu-Pitesti Highway
Preparations for one of the most spectacular infrastructure works in Romania have entered the straight line. On the construction site of Section 3 Cornetu-Tigveni of the Sibiu-Pitesti Highway, the final preparations are being made for the installation and launch of the largest TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) ever used in Romania, which will drill the Poiana Tunnel, the longest tunnel of the highway.
A1 Sibiu-Pitesti highway Photo: video capture
The announcement was made on Sunday by the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Transport, Horațiu Cosma, after a visit to the construction site in Vâlcea county.
“Intensive preparations for the first “mole” that will dig through the Carpathians on the A1 Sibiu-Pitesti Highway! I was today at the construction site of Section 3 Cornetu-Tigveni, where the final preparations are being made for the start of one of the most spectacular infrastructure works in Romania”. sent Horațiu Cosma.
Almost two kilometers long tunnel, drilled with a technology used for the first time
The Poiana tunnel will become the longest tunnel on the Sibiu-Pitesti highway. The two galleries, each with a length of almost two kilometers, will be excavated with the help of a TBM machine, a technology used for the first time for road infrastructure in Romania.
According to Horațiu Cosma, in the coming weeks the machine will be transported in components from Călăraşi and assembled at the portal from Sibiu.
“In the coming weeks, the impressive “mole” will be transported piece by piece from Călărași and assembled at the portal from Sibiu, from where the excavation through the mountain will begin. With a diameter of over 12 meters, as high as a 4-storey building, this will be the largest TBM ever used in Romania”stated the secretary of state.
In parallel, the builder started the production of the prefabricated segments that will form the lining of the tunnel. Each ring of the gallery will consist of nine concrete segments, each weighing approximately 10 tons.
Works worth over one billion euros on the Cornetu-Tigveni lot
Section 3 Cornetu–Tigveni, one of the most difficult sections of the Sibiu–Pitesti Highway, has a length of 37 kilometers and an estimated value of over one billion euros.
According to the Ministry of Transport, the Italian builder is currently mobilized with approximately 1,000 workers and is already working on 15 of the more than 50 viaducts provided for in the project. At the same time, earthworks, excavations, retaining walls, consolidation works and the Călinești ecoduct, which will cross the entire Olt gorge, are being carried out.
The size of the investment is impressive: over 9 million cubic meters of excavations; approximately 2 million cubic meters of fillings; over 1 million cubic meters of concrete; over 100,000 tons of steel-concrete; approximately 47,000 tons of metal decks; almost 2,000 prefabricated beams.
The first drilled highway tunnel in Romania will be inaugurated this summer
Officials of the Ministry of Transport claim that they are working together with the contractors on the Cornetu–Tigveni and Tigveni–Curtea de Argeș plots to complete the environmental documentation and obtain the last necessary authorizations.
“We are working intensively, together with the builders of this lot and the neighboring lot on Valea Oltului, to complete the environmental documentation and issue the last building permits in the coming months, so that the whole project can move forward “with all sails up””said Horațiu Cosma.
At the same time, the authorities estimate that traffic will be opened on Section 4 Tigveni–Curtea de Argeș this summer, which will mark the inauguration of the first drilled highway tunnel in Romania.
The Secretary of State emphasized the strategic importance of the Sibiu-Pitesti Motorway, considered one of the most important infrastructure investments in recent decades.
“The Sibiu-Pitesti highway is much more than an infrastructure project. It is the backbone of Romania's development, the historic link across the Carpathians that will unite the country's historic provinces this decade through a modern, safe and fast road. After decades of waiting, this strategic connection is taking shape every day, on construction sites in the heart of the mountains.” sent Horațiu Cosma.
