The bridge over the Danube in Braille may be ready in December, but they will not be able to open it. The Japanese from IHI could complete the bridge, but road infrastructure work is delayed and it is unlikely that the Italians from WeBuild (ex-Astaldi) will complete the required minimum in time for the inauguration. Transport Minister Sorin Grindeanu has begun preparing to blame the developer, although most of the responsibility for the delays lies with the road authority.

Although there has been talk for years about the “danger” that the Braille Bridge will remain only an open-air “museum” due to the late completion of works on the access roads, the transport authorities have always assured us that we will not live in such a scenario and that the bridge will be put into operation at the end of 2022.

However, now everything is not so clear. A week ago, the state secretary of transport made an “unannounced visit” to the construction site and was skeptical about the inauguration by the end of the year: the state of work and mobilization “do not confirm the repeated statements of the contractors’ association regarding the completion of the works in December.”

Grindean already has a culprit in his sights: “Remove constructor graphics”

A few days later, the Minister of Transport, Sorin Grindeanu, also visited the construction site and in the following statements stated that the contractor presented a new work schedule, according to which he commits to complete them by the end of the year:

• “Please take pictures, take pictures of the schedule that the builder did,” Grindeanu told reporters, noting that CNAIR would send a team to monitor the construction site in these final days of the year.

(In parentheses, CNAIR in any case monitors the construction site both through the Project Implementation Department and through the Consultant who pays for this supervision)

Grindyanu is “looking for scapegoats to throw under the bus.”

The former Secretary of State for Transport during the USR mandate, Horatio Cosmas, reacted, accusing Grindiana of wanting to push the “hot potato” as far as possible.

“Grindean minister is preparing to open a €500m ‘museum’ in Braille at the end of the year. Instead of working to recover the delays, his only concern is to throw the hot potato as far as possible,” says Cosma.

“The new theory put on the market by Sorin Grindeanu is that the builder’s schedule will be the main culprit and the solution is the same monitoring of the construction site that he fooled us with after he got the mandate,” says Cosma, who also blames Grindeanu in that he is “looking for scapegoats to throw under the bus.”

Work on the Braille Bridge, delayed for a long time due to the authorities

The contract for the Braille Bridge, including 22 kilometers of link road, was signed in January 2018 and involved 12 months for design and 36 months for construction.

But according to the good tradition of the Romanian state to put sticks in the wheels, the essential component dragged on for too long:

• Tenders for works on the transfer of communications were launched almost after signing the contractindeed, some of them were canceled and reinstated and, in fact, they pushed the builder back to the site by more than two years, a delay that would upset any organization.

Connecting roads vital for the opening of traffic received the “green light” only in 2021

When he took over the transport authority, Catalin Drula admitted that the Braille Bridge would remain a “museum”, but he was trying to solve the problems and speed up the work. In March and respectively in May 2021, CNAIR issues permits for the construction of 21 kilometers (most) of roads, from which point the road construction period should start approximately 24 months.

In general, the developer is now in compliance with the contractual terms, even if it does not complete the necessary works to open in December 2022. (although there is also a debate here as to which extensions are approved or not approved by the consulting engineer, if the entire term begins from the moment of handover of the entire section – the last tens of meters were handed over only this year.)

On the other hand, the road work required for a December 2022 opening is not so complex that a builder of WeBuild’s caliber could not complete it in time. With better mobilization on the ground, perhaps with a more constructive dialogue with the authorities, so that everything does not get bogged down in negotiations and requests, we could discuss today the guaranteed opening of the movement in two months.

Despite this, the delays caused by the Romanian state in the transfer of communications, the transfer of the plot and the issuance of permits were crucial for the “museum” scenario across the Danube.

VIDEO – How works on connecting roads, necessary for the opening of traffic in December 2022, look now:

The Braille Bridge is an open-air “museum” if the access roads are not ready

In parallel with what is happening on the bridge, the Italian-Japanese association Astaldi – IHI Infrastructure System is currently working on driveways without which it will not be possible to open traffic, even if the bridge itself will be ready at the end of the year.

The access roads, including the level crossing, are currently under construction with a tight schedule and a moderate chance of being open in December, even partially to DJ221B/Calea Galati on the Brail bank and to DN22 near Smardan on the Tulcea bank.

In fact, we are talking about only a few kilometers of the access road that will be ready this year, the rest up to 23 kilometers in total will be ready next year, the latest deadline that the company and the contractor have communicated is August 2023.

Breil Bridge – “Golden Gate” across the Danube

The total length of the suspension bridge over the Danube is 1,974.30 meters, and the central opening is 1,120 meters. comparative, the famous Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco has a length of 1,970 meters and a central span of 1,280 meters.

“After completion, it will be the third bridge in Europe in terms of central span and length,” Avtodorig notes.

The two towers of the bridge reach a height of 192 meters and are practically the tallest buildings in Romania (except for chimneys and antennas).

The total length of roads (including the bridge) is 23,413 km and consists of two sections: the main Braila – Jijila road with a length of 19,095 km and connecting road with DN22 Smârdan – Măcin with a length of 4328 km.

• The main road Braila – Jijila. It will have a length of 19.095 km and will be equipped with two lanes of traffic in each direction, shoulder lanes, approaches, a median zone and a parapet zone.

• Connecting road with DN22 Smârdan – Măcin. This road with a length of 4.328 km will be equipped with one traffic lane in each direction. The connecting road will start from km 7+940 of the main road (Brăila-Jijila) and intersect with DN22 Smârdan-Măcin.

Click on the plans to open them in a larger size in a separate window:

—-

Bridge across the Danube from Braila

Length: Bridge + road Brăila – Jijila (19 km), connecting road DN22 Smârdan Măcin (4.3 km)

Value: 1.99 billion lei (without VAT)

Builder: Astaldi (Italy) – IHI Infrastructure System (Japan)

Signed contract: 15.01.2018

Work started: December 2018

Deadline (according to CNAIR): 2022 (for the bridge), 2023 (for roads)

Physical stage – the entire project (October 2022): 78%

—

SEE ALSO:

• VIDEO Comparison of two builders on the A0 ring road. Two similar parties, two completely different mobilizations in construction

• INTERACTIVE MAP Infrastructure projects around Bucharest: blockages and delays on the A0 highway; missed inauguration for 2022 / PLUS: passes and extensions on the current belt