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Transport Ministry not adverse to Bechtel's financing some highway segments

The Ministry of Transport will conclude at the end of February talks with Transylvania highway builder Bechtel, for establishing clear-cut costs, as well as the segments that will be built in the next period, Minister of Transport Anca Boagiu on Wednesday told Agerpres.

'We are in talks with Bechtel. We will not kick off works on any new segment before we define the technical and economic details in the contracts. We have a team that assesses the works carried out so far, and when all the details related primarily to costs - because this is a target cost contract - will have been established, we will resume talks on whether we start new segments and who is to provide the financing, we do not oppose the idea that that they finance the respective segments themselves. The condition is that we work under a contract that complies with European requirements,' said Boagiu.

The Minister said that she understands the need for this project, but gets admonished by Brussels authorities over the contract and its impact on the state budget.

'As a Minister I cannot accept that we carry on with a contract I am being slammed for whenever I travel to Brussels because it is budget black hole, but I can neither contest the need for this highway. I hope that we conclude contract revision talks by the time the winter is over so that we can make a decision for the next period,' concluded the Minister of Transport. Bechtel has already announced that it would lay off over 600 employees this year for lack of workfront.

Overall, the Transylvania highway running between Bors and Brasov (country north-west to country center) will be 415 km long, of which over 55 km of bridges and viaducts, 94 walkways 58 cross-passages and 16 road hubs. The first 42 km of the motorway between Turda and Gilau, near the city of Cluj, were opened to traffic on December 1, 2009, followed by the rest of the section till Campia Turzii in November 2010.

Given the current budgetary restrictions, the authorities and the American contractor are scrambling to find solutions for continuing works on the Bors - Targu Mures highway section.

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