A number of large-scale projects of national importance will be implemented in Moldova, including: construction of the Ungheni-Chisinau-Odessa highway, the Bucharest-Chisinau-Odessa high-speed railroad, modernization of the Chisinau airport.
Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development Andrei Spinu said this while presenting at a press conference on Thursday the Plan of Moldova's infrastructure reconstruction for the next years, called "5+1". According to him, the mentioned large-scale projects are included in the "+1" section and are an important addition to the 5 main priorities of the plan. "These are far-reaching projects, but Moldova will be able to really move forward, towards Europe, only if they are realized in the coming years. Regardless of how long it will take to realize them, these projects must be launched and implemented: they are the development shock we need to put Moldova on the right path, on the European path. We realize that they take more time to implement, but they play an important role for Moldova's development. And yes, we should start preparing them from today," Andrei Spinu said. He noted that the Ungheni-Chisinau-Odessa highway construction project refers to two road segments: Ungheni-Chisinau, 110 km long, and Chisinau-Odessa, 190 km long, of which 145 km pass through the Moldovan territory. "This is a strategic project that will develop our country and connect Moldova with the European Union," the Infrastructure and Regional Development Minister said. According to him, in addition, a high-speed railroad with European gauge is planned, connecting Bucharest with Chisinau and Chisinau with Odessa. "An immediate priority is the Chisinau - Iasi section, 110 km long, connecting Moldova with Romania, with the European Union," the Minister said. Andrei Spinu called the modernization of the Chisinau airport another important project of national importance. He noted that the current capacity of the airport is limited to 3 million passengers. "Forecasts show that in the coming years, we are expecting an increase in passenger traffic up to 5 million passengers. In this context, it is necessary to start as soon as possible the construction of a new terminal, compliant with European standards, which will connect people, the Diaspora and the European business environment with the business environment of Moldova. The basic estimates show that the minimum investment need for this purpose will amount to 200 million euros in the coming years," the Infrastructure and Regional Development Minister said. He said that another important infrastructure project should be the reconstruction of the Giurgiulesti port. Andrei Spinu said that in 2021-2022, Moldova exported between 60% and 80% of its goods through other ports due to the lack of transshipment capacities. "In this context, it is important to build additional transshipment capacities for at least 800 thousand tons at the Giurgiulesti port. We need investments of about 40 million euros for this purpose," he said. The construction of new bridges across the Prut and Dniester rivers was mentioned by the Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development as other strategic projects in this section. "These are bridges Ungheni - Ungheni, Leova-Bumbata, which should no longer be pontoon bridges, but stone ones, the Stanca-Costesti bridge, which will connect Moldova with the European Union, with Romania, and the Cosauti - Yampil bridge, which will connect Moldova with Ukraine," Andrei Spinu said. // 14.09.2023 - InfoMarket.
