Sibiu-Pitești Expressway: Boița 1 tunnel second gallery breakthrough

Construction on the Sibiu-Pitești Expressway has reached a new milestone with the breakthrough of the second 264-meter gallery of the Boița 1 tunnel. The work is being carried out by the Turkish association Mapa-Cengiz.

While the Boița 1 tunnel has reached a physical progress stage of 45.11%, the overall progress for the 31.33-kilometer Boița-Cornetu section remains at approximately 16%. This discrepancy is due to administrative delays regarding revised environmental agreements and construction permits. According to CNAIR Director General Cristian Pistol, the lack of these documents limits the contractors to performing only about 45% of the total works specified in the contract.

Work is also progressing on other tunnels in the section: the 900-meter Robești tunnel has seen both galleries broken through with 39.48% progress, while the 500-meter Balota tunnel is at 13.69% progress. The project, valued at over 4.25 billion lei, is funded by the EU Transport Program and utilizes the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM). Currently, 708 workers and 162 machines are mobilized on the site.