A consortium led by Webuild has won a contract worth more than €1bn (£850m) to build a section of the Sibiu-Pitesti highway across mountains in Romania.

The road will cross the Carpathian Mountains

The contract is the most complex part of the highway because it will cross the Carpathian Mountains between Cornetu and Tigveni for 37.4km, of which 12.5km will include bridges and viaducts, and a 1.7km long twin tunnel.

The award of the contract followed an international bidding process involving construction companies from Austria, Italy, Romania, Spain and Turkey. Emphasis was placed on expertise in the design and construction of complex tunnels as well as a solid financial position on the part of the builder. Webuild said that the construction of the lot will create more than 40,000 jobs.

The work has been commissioned by Compagnia Nationala de Administrare a Infrastructurii Rutiere (CNAIR) on behalf of the Romania’s transport and infrastructure ministry. It will be carried out by a consortium led by Webuild with a 90% stake. Local partner Tancrad will have 10%. The contract will be 85% financed by European Union funds and the remaining 15% by state funds.

Webuild is already working on Lot 5 of the Sibiu-Pitesti Highway, located 10 kilometres from the newly awarded Lot 3. Once the five sections under construction are completed, the Sibiu-Pitesti will be more than 122km long, connecting central and western Romania to Europe’s highway network as part of the Rhine-Danube Corridor of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).

In addition to the tunnel, bridges and viaducts, Lot 3 includes the design and construction of more than 23km of a double-lane highway, two interchanges at Valeni and Cornetu, 18km of consolidation works, the construction of a maintenance and control centre, and work to preserve the environment. There will also be an animal crossing at Olt River.