Dozens of drivers waited for the opening of the Braila Bridge which took five years and more than 500 million euros to build.
Dubbed Romania’s San Francisco „Golden Bridge”, it is almost 2 kilometers long and the second-largest mainland bridge in Europe.
Built in Romania’s poor and underdeveloped southeast, the bridge will increase economic development and road safety in southeastern Romania, consolidate the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and strengthen economic, social and territorial cohesion in the EU.
European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, said: ‘This bridge is a statement of how beneficial cohesion policy is for citizens. People no longer need to take the slow and occasionally hazardous ferry trip over the Danube. They can now easily cross the largest river in Europe in minutes, which will have a substantial impact on the region’s economy and on the life of local people and beyond, including the neighboring Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.’
The largest bridge in Romania and the second-largest suspension bridge in mainland Europe allows drivers to cross the Danube in 2-3 minutes, compared with 50 minutes for the ferry crossing. This brings huge time and money savings for workers and residents in Galați and Brăila traveling east to Tulcea or onwards to the Black Sea coast. Also, goods from Moldova and Ukraine can now reach Bucharest more quickly. An estimated 11 400 vehicles will use the new bridge each day.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony on 6 July, European Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean said the bridge would benefit the Dobrogea and Moldova regions.
‘The bridge has special importance in the current geopolitical context. A larger infrastructure capacity in the Danube area is vital for improving EU security and ensuring the transportation of goods transiting Romania from and to Ukraine and Moldova,’ she said.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis was quoted as saying that the bridge was the largest construction project undertaken in Romania in the last 30 years.
‘This construction is certainly one of the most ambitious initiatives to modernize transport infrastructure in Romania, carried out with European funds, with international expertise and with latest generation technology’, he said .
The bridge is an example of European and international cooperation: Japanese firm, IHI Corporation supplied the cables, and Italian construction firm, Webuild and dozens of Romanian subcontractors worked on the project.
Before the bridge was built, crossing the Danube between Brăila and Galați was possible only via several ferry services, including one at the northern and southern end of Brăila, and a third, near the Galați logistics park.
‘The bridge is the first modern, direct connection between the regions of Moldova and Dobrogea’, said Ionuț Ciurea, executive director of the Pro Infrastructure Association, which represents civil society and aims to ensure that transport infrastructure in Romania is developed in a transparent and responsible manner.
Visitors to Romania will also benefit. The Brăila Bridge improves access to the Danube Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the second-largest river delta in Europe, renowned for its abundant wildlife.
The EU contributed 363 million euros to the bridge’s total cost of nearly 500 million euros.
There are two lanes in each direction for motorized traffic, an additional two lanes for pedestrians and cyclists, and 23 km of connecting roads.
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