Romania’s government makes first steps to build key-motorway for Ford plant in Craiova

Romania’s road state-owned company selected construction companies to build two sections of Pitesti-Craiova motorway, a key project designed to speed up the development of laggard Oltenia region.

Called by many “the Ford motorway”, the new motorway will ensure to the main investor in Oltenia, US carmaker Ford, an easier route of transport for its cars produced at the Craiova plant to the rest of the country or to export markets.

The 121 km-long Pitesti-Craiova motorway is financed through EU funds and could be completed during the next decade.

However, some companies which lost the tender for some sections of the new motorway have already contested the procedure and some tenders could be resumed.

Romania has opened this year three motorway sections, all located in Transylvania. The second-poorest nation in the EU has around 780 km of motorways currently in use.