Over four billion lei to be invested in Moldova's road infrastructure in 2018

Chisinau, 6 December /MOLDPRES/ – Over MDL 4.16 billion will be invested in 2018 into repair, rehabilitation and construction of national and regional roads, Deputy Prime Minister, Octavian Calmic, Minister of Economy and Infrastructure (MEI), said in a press conference today. The figure is almost twice as high as in 2017, when MDL 2.5 billion were planned.

"We have €355 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB), resources available for 17 ongoing contracts signed in 2014 – 2016. For 2018 we hope that most of them will be implemented. Another €24 million from the EU for three projects," said Octavian Calmic.

He added that 2018, as a financing and volume of planned works, it is a challenge for MEI, State Road Administration (ASD), local and international companies involved in the projects. "At the beginning of 2018 we will launch an interactive map that will enable us to track in real time who is responsible for a road section or another, what progress is in project implementation, which reasons are and why it is not advancing" said the Minister of Economy and Infrastructure.

In 2018 the capital repair of about 100 km of roads, repair of 10 bridges, current repair of 350 km of national roads, Ungheni – Chisinau road will be put into operation, with exception of a segment of 6.6 km, Hancesti – Lapusna, Comrat – Ciumai and about 80 per cent of Balti – Sculeni road.

Deputy Premier, Calmic, said that, depending on the length of the rehabilitated and built roads, it is planned at least a doubling of the works in 2018.

In 2017, the road fund (FR) amounted to MDL 1.08 billion, out of which 477 million were directed to the maintenance of national road infrastructure. Starting 2017, local government financing formula of the first and second levels of financing, which benefited cumulatively of MDL 735 million, changed. Approximately MDL 800 million for rehabilitation of national roads have been granted by EBRD, EIB and EU and another MDL 81 million from the World Bank (WB). The absorption rate of external funds was about 50 per cent.

The state secretary of the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure on Construction and Road Infrastructure, Anatol Usatii, said in press conference that 17 contracts from external resources are with an overdue term of execution. Three contracts with a Romanian firm were terminated, and three other contracts with Bulgarian and Italian companies are on the red list. In other cases, it was made progress after intervention of the Ministry.

Three months ago, the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure announced that out of 17 road rehabilitation contracts signed with foreign companies and funded by foreign partners' funds, ten were compromised and have required urgent decisions.

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor A. Raileanu)