The first mountain lot of the A8 Union Highway officially enters the execution phase. The builder has completed the organization of the site, the machines are ready to start work, and the construction permit has been signed at the very point where the future highway will begin.
On Friday, July 10, the state secretary in the Ministry of Transport, Horațiu Cosma, announced that he had issued the construction permit for the Joseni – Ditrău lot, the first mountain section of the future highway that will connect Moldova with Transylvania.
According to the message and images posted by him on Facebook, the moment was marked right on the future construction site, in the presence of representatives of the National Road Investment Company (CNIR) and the Romanian builder who will execute the works.
Field preparations are already completed. The builder has organized the construction site, the two concrete stations and the asphalt station are operational, more than 140 machines are ready to start work, and the beam factory produces two 40-meter beams and another four 30-meter beams daily.
In the first stage, more than 150 workers will work, and their number will increase as the construction site progresses.
“Today I chose to sign the Construction Authorization right in the field, on the future construction site of the Joseni – Ditrău lot, together with the general director of CNIR, Gabriel Budescu, and the Romanian builder who will turn this project into reality. I wanted to mark this moment where the highway begins to come to life, to hand personally the construction authorization to the contractor and to give the official start of the works together.
Just a few days after approval of the Project for the Construction Authorization by the new road company, CNIR, today we issued the Construction Authorization for the Joseni – Ditrău lot.
It is a truly historic moment: the first construction site begins on the mountain sector of the A8 Unirii Motorway, the longest mountain highway crossing in Romania. At the same time, it is also the first highway lot ever built in Harghita county.
The Romanian builder is ready to enter the construction site in the shortest possible time. The site organization is completed, the two concrete stations and the asphalt station are operational, over 140 machines are ready for work, and the new beam factory produces 2 40-meter beams and 4 30-meter beams each day. In the first stage, more than 150 workers will work, the numbers will increase as the works progress”, transmitted by Horatio Cosma.
When should the Joseni – Ditrău lot be ready
The Joseni – Ditrău lot is 14.4 kilometers long, and the execution term is two years. If the work goes according to the contract, traffic could be opened in 2028.
Along the route, 18 bridges and passages, three ecoducts for the safe crossing of wild animals, a road junction at Joseni and a temporary unloading at Ditrău will be built, so that the section can be used before the completion of the next sector.
Horațiu Cosma says that the mobilization in the field makes him believe that the works could advance at a faster pace than that stipulated in the contract.
“The mountain sector of the Union Highway represents one of the most ambitious infrastructure investments in Romania: over 110 kilometers of highway between Sovata and Pipirig, investments of approximately 4 billion euros, impressive viaducts, tunnels, complex consolidations and engineering works that will radically change the connection between Moldova and Transylvania.
Today I wished success to those who will build this lot and encouraged them to achieve their ambitious goal: to complete the work before the contractual deadline. The mobilization in the field and the preparations made so far show that there are all the prerequisites for a very good pace of execution.
The Unirii highway on the mountain sector is no longer just a project on paper. Today the construction of the first part of the most spectacular mountain highway crossing in Romania begins”, the secretary of state sent.
