Brăila Bridge commissioned. Works, worth half of billion euros, concluded two years late

The bridge over the Danube from Brăila – aka Romania’s Golden Gate – is inaugurated today. The works, which cost half a billion euros, were finished two years late, while the connecting roads are not ready yet. The main road connecting with the shore in Tulcea, for instance, will not be ready until the end of the year.

However, the Brăila suspension bridge, the third largest in Europe, is the largest infrastructure investment in the last 30 years, and the most expensive one after the 1989 anti-communist Revolution.

The Ministry of Transport pledged that drivers will not pay any toll to cross the bridge in the upcoming five years.

The Infotraffic Center of the Romanian Police announced on Thursday that there will be a speed restriction of 80 kilometers per hour on the Brăila bridge – which will be open to traffic from 1 p.m.

At night, between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., from Monday to Friday, traffic on the Brăila bridge will be suspended. On weekends and public holidays (even if they are days of the week), road traffic will be open, Infotrafic states. These measures apply until 30.11.2023.

The bridge is exclusively for road traffic, and pedestrians and cyclists do not have access to cross it. The bridge is designed to have a lifespan of 120 years, and no toll will be paid for the first 5 years.

“It is expected that by opening this bridge, travel time will be reduced by approximately 50 minutes and approximately 11,400 physical vehicles will be served daily. This will produce great benefits for labor force mobility, tourism and trade and strengthen the region’s links with the rest of the country,” the European Commission reports.

President Klaus Iohannis will attend the ribbon-cut ceremony, as well as the incumbent PM Marcel Ciolacu, the former PM Nicolae Ciuca and the minister of Transports Sorin Grindeanu.

“This is the largest construction erected in Romania in the last three decades and is the third largest bridge in Europe. I congratulate everyone involved in this investment project for the efforts made and the result achieved. We have a new proof, as strong as possible, of the fact that even in Romania, if there is will and seriousness, major infrastructure projects can be completed. Special thanks must also go to the Japanese and Italian partners for their commitment and professionalism. Two years ago, when the centenary of bilateral relations between Japan and Romania was celebrated, the project of this bridge was presented as a conclusive example of the collaboration between Japan and the European Union,” stated President Iohannis

“This construction is, with certainty, one of the most ambitious initiatives to modernize the transport infrastructure in Romania, carried out with European funds, with reference international expertise and with the latest generation technology. Regardless of the political positions, the debates and the objectives that the parties propose for the upcoming election year, Romania’s interests in terms of reforms and economic development must take precedence,” he added.

The Romania head of state pointed out that the transport infrastructure has a huge potential to stimulate economic development and increase the quality of life, especially for local communities. “Connecting to major transport corridors, streamlining domestic traffic and facilitating international transit traffic have always had a strong driving effect on local economies and communities (…) Transport infrastructure must remain the zero priority of any Government, but also of local authorities, because only in this way can we benefit from larger, more efficient investments and reduce the large regional gaps existing today in Romania.”

“Moreover, I wish that in the coming years the statistics on the number of road accidents will change significantly for the better. It is no secret that we have been at the top of the European rankings for these black statistics for many years. And along with road education and traffic behavior, the quality of the road infrastructure also has a significant contribution to improving the current situation. The bridge that enters traffic today represents a particularly important first step in achieving objectives regarding connectivity, streamlining of transit traffic and road safety. This project also represents the measure of good cooperation, both national and international. Once again, congratulations on getting the build done and good luck with completing the entire project with all associated access routes!,” Iohannis concluded.

In his turn, PM Marcel Ciolacu said that gthe bridge is the result of teamwork, of international cooperation. “A Japanese consortium employed dozens of Romanian subcontractors. It is also a model of major public investment. The 500 million invested in the bridge mostly returned to Romania, especially in this area. It is a symbol of economic patriotism. The opening of this bridge brings a series of important benefits: saving time and money for carriers, in the long term a much more intense activity in the Brăila free zone is foreseen, it means more economic development. The number of tourists in the Danube Delta will also increase.”

“In 2017, few believed in the success of this project. 6 years later we are here at the inauguration. I call it a bridge of hopes, of the union of Romanians. It is the first road connection between Brăila and Tulcea counties. It is proof that Romania knows how to attract European money and create new opportunities for jobs,” Transport minister Sorin Grindeanu also stated.