European Commission funds feasibility study for new bridge between Romania and Bulgaria
The European Commission recently approved funding for the feasibility study of the new bridge over the Danube between Giurgiu and Ruse, connecting Romania and Bulgaria, transport minister Sorin Grindeanu announced.
The funding will be provided through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), specifically the military mobility component.
“Constructive meeting with Kathleen Ann Kavalec, the US Ambassador to Bucharest, and George Tsunis, the US Ambassador to Greece! We discussed regional connectivity on the north-south axis, with a focus on connections between Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece, as well as road connections like the Moldova Highway (Ploiești - Buzău - Focșani - Bacău - Suceava - Siret Border Crossing), the Via Carpatia Project within the Three Seas Initiative, and railway connections. On this occasion, I emphasized the importance of the Port of Constanța becoming an excellent connection between logistics routes in Central, Western, and Eastern Europe with Asia. [...] Last but not least, I referred to the recent approval by the European Commission of funding for the Feasibility Study for a second bridge over the Danube at Giurgiu-Ruse," Grindeanu said, cited by Economedia.
As the Calafat - Vidin Bridge was built by the Bulgarian Ministry of Transport and inaugurated in 2013, the Giurgiu-Ruse II Bridge is expected to be constructed by CNAIR (the Romanian National Company for Motorways and National Roads).
The new bridge is meant to ensure cross-border connectivity between Romania and Bulgaria, to ensure smooth road traffic. The total value of the execution contracts within this funding application is estimated at EUR 13.8 million. Half of the money will come from EU funds. The implementation period is 39 months.
Last summer, Romania Inaugurated the Brăila bridge over the Danube. It is one of the largest suspension bridges in Europe, the largest over the Danube, and Romania's biggest infrastructure investment of the last 30 years. The construction took 5 years and cost EUR 500 million. The majority of the sum was covered by EU funds.
(Photo source: Inquam Photos / Sabin Cirstoveanu)
