When Romania celebrated its induction into the European Union in January 2007, its president described EU membership as “the road of our future.” Romania’s economic hopes are also ingrained in an actual road now under construction—the Autostrada Transilvania.
A sleek new national highway will bring the country’s infrastructure in line with that of its new economic partners. The road will likely become the preferred route between the Black Sea and Western Europe.
Bechtel is helping to make the road map a reality. In June 2004, Bechtel and partner Enka broke ground on the $2.2 billion Autostrada Transilvania project, a central piece of Romania’s plans for a national highway system. They are designing and building a 258-mile (415-kilometer), four-lane highway along with 300 bridges, 73 overpasses, and 19 interchanges.
So far, 14 archaeological teams have retrieved artifacts during excavation. Digs around Cluj revealed a 6,500-year-old settlement with huts and 3,300-year-old colored pottery.
Bechtel and Enka have worked hard to reuse as much excavated material as possible. What started as a necessity for construction became an important part of the community affairs program when the team moved soil and planted trees to create a new outdoor recreation area for the rural community of Valisoara.
The first 33-mile (53-kilometer) segment of the motorway is scheduled for completion in February 2010, with other segments opening over the following three years. Analysts are talking about collateral investments equivalent to the motorway’s $2.2 billion cost by 2013, and the country is gearing up for an expected 30 percent increase in tourism.
For Romania, the road ahead looks bright. For more information, see the September 2007 Bechtel Briefs.
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