Bucharest, July 6, 2023 – Today, July 6, one of the largest projects financed through the cohesion policy, the Brăila bridge in Romania, was inaugurated.
The bridge will connect the Black Sea and Danube Delta ports to the rest of the country and the trans-European transport network. The EU contribution to this project amounts to 363 million euros from cohesion policy funds.
This suspension bridge, 2 km long and located 38 meters above the water, with four lanes, is the largest in Romania and the largest bridge over the Danube, occupying the third place in the list of the largest suspension bridges in the EU.
The project will also contribute to the construction of 23.4 km of transport infrastructure such as roads, bridges, junctions, level crossings and overpasses that will meet the needs of the population of the Moldova and Dobrogea regions.
The bridge is a marvel of technology with its towers and anchor system. The main cables total approximately 81,000 km – a length comparable to twice the circumference of the Earth – and have a guaranteed lifetime of 120 years. The anchor blocks, with a diameter of 47 m, are buried at a depth of 31 m, which are figures that very few bridge structures in the world reach.
Elisa Ferreira, Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, said: “The bridge is proof of how citizens are getting the benefits created by cohesion policy on the ground. People no longer have to undertake a slow and sometimes dangerous ferry journey across the Danube, but can now easily cross Europe’s largest river in just a few minutes, which will have a substantial impact on the region’s economy and the lives of local people, having effects also beyond the borders of the area – including in the neighboring countries, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.”
Adina Vălean, the transport commissioner, said: “The Brăila Bridge, one of the largest and most technically sophisticated in Europe, is a successful project for both Romania and the European Union. This new transport connection will lead to economic development in the neighboring communities and will have a positive impact for the regions of Dobrogea and Moldova. In addition, the bridge has increased importance in the current geopolitical context of the war in Ukraine. Increasing the infrastructure capacity in the Danube region is vital to improve security at the level of the European Union and to ensure the transport of goods transiting Romania to and from Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova.”
The bridge is part of the larger package of investments in the transport network in Romania, financed by the cohesion policy, with the aim of promoting a multimodal transport system, adding the missing links and improving cross-border safety and connectivity.
In the 2014-2020 programming period, Romania received a total of over 24 billion euros in funding under the EU’s cohesion policy, a substantial part of this funding (5.6 billion euros) being dedicated to improving the infrastructure network in the sector transport and energy. In the current programming period, 2021-2027, Romania will receive €31 billion from cohesion policy funds, including €4.6 billion for road, rail and water transport infrastructure.
