Romania’s Comarnic-Brasov highway should be completed by 2017 and the estimated costs will amount to EUR 1.8 billion, or some EUR 28 million per kilometer, according to the Romania prime-minister Victor Ponta.

This is so far the most expensive highway in Romania, and the first to be built under public - private partnership.

The Vistrada Nord consortium, consisting of companies Vinci, Strabag and Aktor, will build the highway under public - private partnership, and construction work should start by end-April 2014.

“Basically, the procedure for selecting the consortium was completed. The winner is Vistrada consortium. Now, negotiations are underway with banks to finance the project. Normally, by April 20 we should be able to sign the contract,” said Ponta, quoted by local news agency Agerpres.

The highway will have a length of 53 kilometers, plus other 7 kilometers of linking roads.

Thursday (January 16), representatives of the winning consortium have sealed a memorandum with the Romanian authorities on the construction of the highway.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com