U.S. Ambassador William H. Moser and Prime Minister Vlad Filat took part today in the launch of 93 km of rehabilitation work on the Sarateni-Soroca road, funded with a grant from the United States. The total cost of the Sarateni-Soroca road rehabilitation and construction supervision amounts to more than $99 million, all of which is provided by the American people through the Millennium Challenge Corporation.
The two officials, accompanied by representatives of the Moldovan government and local public authorities visited the construction site of the Turkish consortium ONUR Taahhnut Tasimacilik Ve Ticaret Ltd. Sti. and SUMMA Turizm Yatirimciliği A.S.
Ambassador Moser and Prime Minister Filat test-drove equipment imported for the rehabilitation of the road segment and surveyed the newly constructed plants for production of concrete, asphalt and for asphalt recycling. Fevzi Ayrancioglu, the representative of ONUR and SUMMA consortium, said that the asphalt plant has a capacity of 280 tons per hour, while the asphalt recycling plant has a capacity of 500 tons per hour. If this equipment were used without stopping in 180 days there would be enough asphalt to rehabilitate the Sarateni –Ghindesti road segment, explained the Turkish expert.
The two together laid the first batch of asphalt on the access road from the plant to the start of work on the M2, and learned details of the two-year timeline for completion of this critical investment in Moldova's modern road network.
According to the Turkish consortium, the first phase of the rehabilitation project consists of preparatory groundwork, construction of bypasses on specific parts of the road, and procurement of construction materials, after which the proper rehabilitation work will start. Conform estimărilor, pînă la finele anului curent, în funcție de condițiile climaterice, ar putea demara reabilitarea unei porțiuni de circa 15 km de drum.
The Turkish Consortium ONUR was awarded a contract to rehabilitate the 44.9 km segment from Sarateni junction up to the entry in Ghindesti town after a rigorous international competition. The remaining 48.1 km segment from Ghindeşti town to Drochia junction (R7 and R9 junction) will be rehabilitated by the Austrian company Strabag AG, also selected through international competition.
Prime Minister Filat appreciated the company’s efforts to mobilize for the launch of the rehabilitation works, stressing that this road is going to be one of the most modern roads in Moldova with illuminated segments and increased road safety.
Ambassador Moser, in turn, said that the Sarateni-Soroca road will have a huge impact on communities, because it will not only make the link between Moldovan localities, but will also serve as an international connection.
The Sarateni-Soroca road is part of the national M2 road, which connects the Republic of Moldova with Ukraine. At present, it is in very poor condition, with about 60 percent of the road requiring full rehabilitation. Rehabilitation of this road segment is the objective of the Road Rehabilitation Project of the Millennium Challenge Compact.
