The contract was awarded less than three months after bids were submitted by an association of companies from Italy, which included ITINERA S.p.A. (leader), ICM S.p.A. and SAIPEM S.p.A. The value of the winning bid is 3.57 billion Romanian lei (14.06 billion Moldovan lei) excluding VAT, ziaruldeiasi.ro reported.
The project covers the section between Iasi and the bridge over the Prut to Ungheni with a total length of 15.5 kilometers. It also includes, for the first time, the construction of a highway section with a length of about 5 kilometers on the territory of Moldova under the SAFE program.
The total duration of the contract is 46 months, of which 10 months are allocated for the design and 36 months for the execution of the works. The authorities specified that the priority will be given to the 2.77-kilometer stretch between the Golaesti road junction and the bridge over the Prut River in Ungheni, where the works are at a more advanced stage.
This section will include 14 bridges and overpasses, two tunnels – one of which is 1,760 meters long – and two road junctions. One of the interchanges will provide future connections to the regional hospital and Iasi Airport, while the second will be located in Golasti.
