Romania's A1 Sibiu‑Piteşti Highway Tunnel Construction Moves Forward

Romanian officials confirmed that preparatory work is under way for the Poiana Tunnel, the longest tunnel on the A1 Sibiu‑Piteşti highway. The 2‑kilometre galleries will be bored by a tunnel‑boring machine (TBM) over 12 metres in diameter – the largest ever used in the country – which will be assembled near the Sibiu portal before being deployed through the Carpathians.

The 37‑kilometre Cornetu‑Tigveni section, valued at more than €1 billion, involves over 50 viaducts, extensive earthworks and an eco‑duct at Călinești. An Italian contractor has mobilised about 1 000 workers, produced prefabricated tunnel rings weighing around 10 tonnes each, and is advancing on other structural elements such as viaducts and retaining walls. The project aims to open traffic on the Tigveni‑Curtea de Argeş segment this summer, improving a key north‑south transport corridor in Romania.