Romanian–Bulgarian Consortium Wins €1 Billion Expressway Contract in Romania

A Romanian–Bulgarian consortium has won a contract worth RON 5.17 billion (approximately €1.015 billion) for the design and construction of the Bacău – Piatra Neamț expressway in north-eastern Romania, according to the National Road Investment Company (CNIR).

The consortium includes Romanian companies Danlin XXL, Intertranscom Impex, and Antrepriza de Constructii Drumuri si Autostrazi, together with Bulgarian firms Groma Hold and Evropski Patisha.

The contract covers a 51-kilometre expressway and will be implemented over 48 months, including 12 months for design and 36 months for construction, followed by a five-year warranty period.

The new expressway will connect Piatra Neamț to the A7 motorway, a key component of Romania’s national and European transport network. The project includes 30 bridges, overpasses and viaducts with a total length of around 16 kilometres, as well as five interchanges.

According to CNIR CEO Gabriel Budescu, the tender evaluation criteria included additional points for employing unemployed workers from the Bacău and Neamț counties. The feasibility study estimates that around 1,800 jobs will be created over the duration of the project.

Comment by the Institute of Danube Research

The Institute of Danube Research views this project as a strong example of effective Romanian–Bulgarian cooperation in large-scale transport infrastructure and an important step towards strengthening connectivity in the wider Danube region.

The Bacău – Piatra Neamț expressway will enhance regional mobility within Romania and improve access of north-eastern regions to the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).

The participation of Bulgarian companies highlights the growing importance of cross-border partnerships in South-Eastern Europe, where infrastructure projects increasingly serve as shared instruments for economic growth, employment and regional resilience.

For the broader Danube region, including Ukraine, this case demonstrates how regional cooperation and European investment mechanisms can accelerate the delivery of strategic infrastructure projects, even in a challenging geopolitical environment.