Romania and Serbia have signed an agreement to build a European Union-financed highway linking the Romanian city of Timisoara to the Serbian capital, a development that will improve transport between the countries.
The Romanian and Serbian transport ministers signed the agreement Thursday evening in Timisoara, southwestern Romania.
The Timișoara–Moravița portion of the highway which runs to the Serbian border, called the A9 is 73 kilometers long and building will start next year.
In Serbia, the highway will head from the border towards Belgrade via Vrsac providing a hiigh-spees connection to Montenegro and other former Yugolav countries.
It is also being touted as an alternative route from Romania to Western Europe via Serbia and Croatia, bypassing Hungary. Serbia isn’t an EU member.
“There has been talk for many years about this road, which is essential for the connection with Serbia,” said Sorin Grindeanu, the Romanian minister. “Somewhere in the autumn of this year we will finish the feasibility study, in the spring of next year the tender for design and execution will be launched, which means that… building should start next summer.”
Serbian Transport Minister Tomislav Momirović that when the new highway is completed Belgrade and Timisoara would be only an hour’s drive apart. He said the road is a strategically important corridor for both countries.
„The Serbian government and fully support the completion of this project to be completed as completed as soon as possible. I hope that we will meet as soon as possible when works starts on this road,” Momirović said.
The highway is part Romania’s strategy to upgrade its transportation network which was approved last year.
