Partial Opening of Two Sections of Dex12 Expressway: A Milestone Achieved
On the same day, two sections of the Dex12 Craiova – Pitești Expressway will be partially opened to traffic. The traffic will be opened on most of Section 1 near Craiova on Thursday, while nearly 19 km of Section 4 will be put into operation at the other end.
Section 1 of Dex12 Craiova – Pitești, approximately 18 km, will be open to traffic on Thursday afternoon, except for a bridge and a portion from the Craiova end which will be completed in the following weeks.
The first section of the Dex12 Craiova – Pitești Expressway was started in 2018 by the Italian company Tirrena Scavi, but in 2022, the contract was terminated at a physical completion rate of 57% after the works were stalled, and the contractor showed poor mobilization.
In 2023, the completion contract was taken over by the Turks from Ozaltin, and since September last year, the contractor has been on the construction site. The contractual deadline is April 2025, so the inauguration on Thursday will be ahead of schedule.
Section 1 of Dex 12 Craiova – Pitești Expressway
- Length: 17.7 km
- Description: 2x(2×3.5) m / Shoulders 2×1.5 m / Median strip 3.00 m
- Contractor: Ozaltin (Turkey)
- Value: 439 million lei (excluding VAT)
- Date of commencement: September 2023 (commencement order) – 18 months execution
- Status (November 2024): 95%
- Completion deadline: March-April 2025
Video – A Sneak Peek at Dex 12 Craiova – Pitești, Section 1 Before Inauguration
Partial Opening also on Section 4 built by UMB
The Romanian contractor UMB is working on the 32 kilometers of Lot 4 on the Dex12 Craiova – Pitești Expressway, essentially the missing link between the sections already open to traffic and the A1 highway near Pitești towards Bucharest. Approximately 19 km of this section will be opened to traffic on Thursday.
Specifically, this refers to the 19 km between Colonești (end towards Lot 3 already open to traffic) and the Albota junction where work is also being done on a 6 km linking road between DN65 and DN65A. The rest, the continuation to A1 and the junction with the highway to Bucharest, is expected to be completed only in the first part of 2025.
“We hope for April, at the latest May, depending on the weather and the priorities of UMB and those negotiated with the authorities,” says the Pro Infrastructure Association.
“Our congratulations to the UMB workers who worked very hard in 2024, setting a new record: 60.74 kilometers of expressway and highway opened to traffic by a single contractor in a calendar year,” notes the civic organization.
Dex 12 Craiova – Pitești Expressway, Section 4 – Colonești – Pitești (A1)
- Length: 31.8 km (+ linking road to DN65)
- Description: 2x(2×3.5) m / Shoulders 2×1.5 m / Median strip 3.00 m
- Contractor: SA&PE Construct – Spedition UMB – Tehnostrade
- Value: 755 million lei (excluding VAT) – updated value
- Date of commencement: November 15, 2021 (12 months design + 24 months execution)
- Status (November 2024): 85%
- Completion deadline: November/December 2024 (partial until Albota) / Q2 2025 total