
Moldova has terminated the contract for the repair of the national highway R33 Hincesti-Lapusna-M1 concluded with Evrascon JSC (Azerbaijan).
The State Road Administration reported this, noting that it has initiated a procedure for collecting a guarantee for the return of the advance payment and a guarantee of proper performance for non-fulfillment of obligations to restore the national road that connects Hincesti with the villages of Rusca, Lapusna and Onesti. The contractor will also pay a late payment penalty of 10% of the total value of the canceled contract. The total cost of the project for the restoration of the national road R33 with a length of 37.2 km is more than 18 million euros; funds for the repair were provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. During the meeting of the leadership of the State Road Administration of Moldova with Evrascon, the delay in the restoration of 2 sections of the road 17.6 km long and, accordingly, 22.1 km of the section of the national road R1 Chisinau-Ungheni-Sculeni was discussed. In this case, the contractor is obliged to pay a fine of 10% of the total amount of each contract for exceeding the contractual deadlines. At the same time, the State Road Administration ordered the urgent submission of an action plan, given that there is a risk that the contractor will not be able to resume repair work after the start of the warm season. The first section of the road, part of the national road R1, which is in the process of restoration, crosses the cities of Vatra and Straseni, and the total cost of the renovation project exceeds 23 million euros. The money was allocated from the funds of the European Investment Bank. The second section, also part of the national road R1, passes through the settlements of Cornesti, Romanovca and Pirlita in the Ungheni region. The total cost of work on this project is about 15 million euros, it is financed by the EBRD. “In accordance with the provisions of 3 contracts signed with Evrascon, the restoration of the national road R33 and sections of the national road R1 had to be completed in 2016. The contractor is facing financial difficulties, termination of the contract for the repair of the national road R33, with all the ensuing consequences, is inevitable. If Evrascon is unable to ensure the continuation of the repair work on the national road R1, the concluded contracts will also be terminated,” said Veaceslav Potop, Acting Director General of the State Road Administration. The work on the repair of the national road R33 was completed at 45.4%, the 17.6 km section of the national road R1 - at 85.5% and, accordingly, the 22.1 km section of the same highway - at 76.6%. // 02.03.2021 - InfoMarket.