Bridge across Dniester river illuminated with EU's support

Chisinau, 14 January /MOLDPRES/ - A bridge across the Dniester river, between the cities of Rezina and Rabnita, was illuminated on 13 January evening, for the first time since 1993. Twelve new pillars were set and 70 LED lamps, efficient from the energy viewpoint, were mounted within a project backed by the European Union.   

The bridge has lanes for vehicles, as well as pavements, being useful for pedestrians as well. According to the project’s authors, about 60,000 people from the entire region will be able to move in conditions of enhanced road traffic safety, due to the simultaneous illumination of all the bridge.   

„The European Union is rejoiced of financing the illumination of this bridge, which connects the twin cities of Rezina and Rabnita. Beyond the bridge’s strong symbol for the EU Confidence Building Measures programme, the most important thing is the concrete benefit for the citizens of both cities, who will now cross the bridge in a safe environment. This means creating trust through words and through deeds for the European Union,” Head of the EU Delegation in Moldova Peter Michalko said at the inauguration of the illumination system.     

„Probably the most important aspect is the strong potential of promoting confidence of the public illumination system, which settles the problems of the communities and creates a sustainable environment for cooperation across the Dniester,” Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Dima Al-Khatib said.

For his part, an employee of a factory from Rabnita said that “now it is much better to move here, even just late at night.”   

The overall sum of the investment into the bridge between Rabnita and Rezina amounted to about 49,000 euros, of whom almost 34,000 euros is the European Union’s contribution and 15,000 euros – the one of the Rezina local authorities.   

The illumination of the bridge across the Dniester river between the Rezina and Rabnita cities is one of those 14 infrastructure projects selected by open contest and carried out through the European Union’s Confidence Building Measures programme, implemented by UNDP in 2019-2021. The programme contributes to strengthening the trust between the residents of the two banks of Dniester, through involving them in joint development projects.