Latest Danube crossing to start

Construction of the second bridge across the Danube river between Bulgaria and Romania will start in April this year, according to an announcement by Transport Minister Petar Moutafchiev, reports the Focus news agency.

Spain’s FCC (Fomento de Construcciones and Contratas) has won the tender to develop the project, which will link Vidin in Bulgaria to Calafat in Romania. FCC’s contract is worth € 162 million (US$ million), with the total cost of the project estimated at € 236 million (US$ million).

When completed in 2010, the Danube Bridge 2 will be part of European Transport Corridor IV between Dresden in Germany and Istanbul in Turkey.

Reports in the Bulgarian press in recent weeks have claimed construction could be delayed by four months to September 2008.

The reports quoted Simeon Evtimov, in charge of project development at the Transport Ministry, there were problems with geological surveys and land expropriation. While Mr Moutafchiev had earlier been quoted as saying the delays were down to differences between Bulgarian and Romanian laws.