The National Road Infrastructure Administration Company (CNAIR) emphasizes the importance of the works on the Sibiu-Pitesti highway and announces that the completion of the two sections that cross the Carpathians can no longer be postponed. Traffic on the Olt Valley will be closed during the day, between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., for one month.
“The construction of the Sibiu – Pitesti highway is essential for Romania. With a length of 122 km, this highway is part of the Pan-European Corridor 4 (Rhine-Danube Corridor). The vast majority of passenger and goods transport on the East – West route (Constanța – Nădlac) now transits this area on DN7, in conditions that do not offer sufficient comfort and road safety. That’s why the construction of the two sections that cross the Carpathians can no longer be postponed! Section 2 (Boita – Cornetu) is one of them, and the next stages of the construction, which must be completed in 2028, depend on the slope clearing operations (carried out between July 8 and August 9),” reports CNAIR.
According to the company, traffic on the Olt Valley will be restricted. For one month, between July 8 and August 9, traffic will be closed on DN7 during the day, between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m..
However, for the access of the residents of the Lazaret area and the staff working at the psychiatric hospital in the area, two time intervals will be established, between 7.00 – 7.30 and 16.00 – 16.30 in which it will be possible to circulate only accompanied.
Also, Police, fire and rescue vehicles will have access in urgent cases, also accompanied by representatives of the contractor. CNAIR also explains that DN7 will be partially closed to build the Sibiu-Pitesti highway, and for this large areas of forest must be cleared.
“The forests are on the slope that passes into the DN7 alignment. It is necessary that the section between Boita and Lazaret, of 8 km, of DN7 be closed”, states CNAIR.
CNAIR also explains that if the works do not start as soon as possible, there is a risk that the opening of traffic on the Sibiu-Pitesti highway will be delayed a lot, beyond the contractual deadlines. “Delays would be at least 6 months and financial penalties. (…) We have two options: either we build the highway, or we risk not being able to build it through the Transport Program 2021 – 2027. We have a choice between paying for the construction or paying extremely high delay penalties due to the state, without let’s be sure that the highway will be built”, the National Road authority concludes.
However , the business environment slammed the decision to close the Olt Valley.
“We believe that road safety must come first, but the blocking of an important artery only for a preliminary stage of the Pitesti – Sibiu highway must necessarily be accompanied by a strategy that presents the alternatives for a quality and pressure-free execution of such of measures. We ask for real consultations, not in form, a priori and in a term that allows the reaction and preparation of the private environment and all those affected! It is not the measure itself that is problematic, but the way in which the announcement was made, almost overnight without considering the impact on all actors in society,” the Romanian Business Leaders Foundation (RBL) told a press release.
“Strategic decisions cannot be taken and communicated ad hoc, without giving the necessary time to the private environment and citizens to prepare for the impact of such measures. Valea Oltului represents a road of regional and strategic interest, where we need high-speed road infrastructure, as well as maintenance works for it, but we believe that the way in which this decision was made and communicated, without consulting those affected and without immediately offering remedial solutions, it reflects a shaky dialogue, by no means a partnership between political decision-makers and private companies in Romania,” RBL added.
They argue that all will be affected by this closing decision, transporters, local companies or tourists:
“• Transporters – they suddenly have to calculate new, much longer routes which automatically involve longer driving times, increased human resource costs, increased costs for fuel consumption and even for transported goods.
• Companies from various key sectors for the economy – the Olt Valley represents a strategic road for the automotive industry in Romania, for trade in refrigerated and frozen food products (the main logistics warehouses that supply operators at the national level are in Turda, Bucharest, Ploiești and Constanța) , for the manufacturing industry and not only.
• Local businesses, from those operating in tourism, the agricultural industry, the events industry and many others who have to find, overnight, back-up plans to ensure their business continuity.
• Residents of the areas served by Valea Oltului will only suffer if we think about restricted or limited access at best, to emergency services and mobility for personal or professional travel.
• Tourists who had planned vacations in the area for this summer or who were going to transit the Olt Valley to go on vacation.”
Closure during July 8-August 9
Therefore, traffic on Olt Valley, one of the busiest roads in the country, will be closed between July 8 and August 9, during the day. Those who want to get from Bucharest to Sibiu will have to travel hundreds of kilometers more, on detour routes, and the traffic on National Road 1 could double.
Precisely, a 8 km section between the towns of Lazaret and Boita will be closed. Residents living in Lazaret will be able to cross the closed area twice a day: in the morning from 07:00 to 07:30 and in the afternoon from 16:00 to 16:30.
The alternative routes for Olt Valley are at the moment Jiului Valley, Prahova Valley and National Road 1. Other alternative routes can be Transfăgărășanul and Transalpina.
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