The Comarnic-Brasov motorway section to be inaugurated in four yearsUpdated: 19-01-2010 | Politics

The Comarnic-Brasov motorway section will be inaugurated in four years, that is in January 2014, and the operation, construction, financing and design costs amount to 4.8 billion euros, declared on Monday Dana Galben, Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure concessions director, upon signing the concession agreement with the Vinci and Aktor companies.

The procedures for this agreement started in 2003, meanwhile a tender for this 4.7 billion euro concession, the first of this high scale and with an impressive value, having been annulled.

The discussions between the representatives of the Ministry of Transport and the Vinci-Aktor consortium regarding the agreement's conclusion came to a standstill at the end of last year, because of the constructor's claims, which would have exceeded the initial offer, declared winning. The failure of the negotiations could have led to an at least two-year postponing of the works starting date. According to the initial agenda, the works should start in the summer of 2010, the road section being finalized until 2014.

The Vinci-Aktor consortium should design, finance and build the Comarnic-Brasov motorway, and manage the 55-kilometre section for a 30-year period in exchange for a fee, paid by the users starting from the fifth year of the concession.

The consortium will concede the Comarnic-Brasov motorway at a construction price of 1.57 billion euros. Starting with the fifth year of the concession period, over a 26-year time span, the Romanian State will carry out availability payments to the concession holder, with a value of 180 million euros per year, which amounts to a value of 4.7 billion euros.

The fee paid by users starting with the fifth year of concession, after the opening of the motorway, will be 1.75 euro/axletree/100 kilometres, which means that in order to go through the 55-kilometre section, approximately five euros per year will be paid for a car.

At the end of the 30-year concession period, the Comarnic-Brasov road-section falls under the property of the State, which is met with two alternatives: either to concede it again, or to manage it.

Agerpres