Sibiu-Pitesti, one of the most anticipated highways in Romania, will open for traffic at the end of 2021, according to Catalin Homor, the general manager of the National Road Infrastructure Administration Company (CNAIR).

Work on the new highway is scheduled to start in the first part of 2018, reports local Agerpres.

“Our program is quite detailed. We’ll have the entire technical report by the end of 2017, work at sections 1 and 5 will start in the first half of 2018, and will continue gradually on each section, so that the entire highway will be ready in 2021,” Homor said.

According to transport minister Sorin Buse, 75% of the investment will be covered by EU funds, and the rest 25% will come from the state budget. The highway will require an investment of some EUR 1.6 billion.

The local authorities approved on Tuesday the final route of the Sibiu-Pitesti highway. They chose the first version, which means that the road will pass through Curtea de Arges, then Valeni, and will exit in Valcea county, in the town of Racovita, the transport minister announced, reports local Digi24.

Thus, the 123-km highway will be made of six sections, namely section 1 Sibiu-Boita, section 2 Boita-Racovita, section 3 Racovita-Valeni, section 4 Valeni-Curtea de Arges, section 5 Curtea de Arges-Pitesti, and section 6, which includes the rehabilitation of a 14-km sector of national road, and the construction of a new 2.5-km road.

The A1 Sibiu-Pitesti highway will have at least six tunnels, and ten road junctions. It is part of Pan-European transport corridor IV, which makes it eligible for European funding.

Transport minister Sorin Buse also announced at the end of September that the highway would be completed in 2021.

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