EBRD Road

The European Union (EU) has provided a €15m grant through its Neighbourhood Investment Facility (NIF) to support road construction and rehabilitation in Moldova.

The grant complements investments by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) for a total of €300m.

In this regard, an agreement was signed between Moldova’s Ministry of Transport and Road Infrastructure and the EBRD, the financial institution that manages the road rehabilitation programme.

"Moldova is in a position where roads are becoming increasingly important for the prosperity of the country and the wider region."

The funding will be used to build the 6m-long Bahmut bypass on the R1 Chisinau-Ungheni-Sculeni road to the Romanian border and the 8.5km-long Vulcanesti bypass on the M3 Chisinau-Giurgiulesti road.

Works will also include new earthworks, footbridges, water-management systems, and the relocation of utilities, as well as the installation of road signs and markings.

The 7m-wide roadway will include two lanes and a 40m-long bridge over the Cahul River will also be built on the Vulcanesti bypass.

Moldova Minister of Transport and Road Infrastructure Vasile Botnari said that this important investment aims to support the authorities’ efforts to improve the quality of the national road network.

Botnari said: "A well-developed road network is essential for growth and for better quality of life in Moldova. We expect that the investments and grants from our European partners will improve the condition of roads in the country and will bring us closer to the European Union."

The two bypasses will reduce operational costs for road users between 10% and 15%, creating more comfortable and safer conditions for both freight and passenger transport.

The EU has so far supported the rehabilitation of 23.7km of the Balti-Sarateni road and the 7km-long Ungheni bypass which is currently under construction.

EBRD Resident Office head Chisinau Julia Otto said: "Located at a geographical crossroads and bordering the European Union, Moldova is in a position where roads are becoming increasingly important for the prosperity of the country and the wider region.

"Better roads will help spread economic development to remote regions, bring producers closer to their markets and take people to their destinations more safely."

These efforts are part of a large programme to build and rehabilitate 700km of Moldovan roads, supported by donors and international financial institutions.

Image: EU Delegation head in Moldova Pirkka Tapiola, Moldova’s Minister of Transport and Road Infrastructure Vasile Botnari, and EBRD Resident Office head in Chisinau Julia Otto at the signing ceremony. Photo: courtesy of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.