CNAIR announces that the tunnels on the A1 Margina–Holdea motorway have been fully excavated, while concreting of the galleries is expected to be completed by the end of the year

The tunnels on the Margina–Holdea section of the A1 motorway have been fully excavated, CNAIR Director General Cristian Pistol announced on Friday. The works are being carried out on the 9.13-kilometre section linking the Lugoj–Deva sections and represent the missing link for uninterrupted travel between Sibiu and the border with Hungary.

The breakthrough of the galleries marks the completion of the construction site's most difficult stage, after two years of continuous work carried out on ten work fronts with approximately 900 workers. Tunnel 2 is the longest road tunnel built to date in Romania, with galleries measuring 1,985 and 1,825 metres. Tunnel 1 has galleries measuring 415 and 367.5 metres, respectively.

The project's physical progress has exceeded 75%. Concreting of the galleries is advancing at approximately 20 metres per day and is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year. At the same time, the installation of beams on overpasses and viaducts continues, as does the laying of the first asphalt layer, known as binder.

After concreting is completed, the contractors will install and test the tunnels' safety systems. According to CNAIR's estimate, uninterrupted motorway travel between Boița and Nădlac, over a distance of more than 360 kilometres, will be possible in the first half of next year. The contract is worth 1.82 billion lei, excluding VAT, and is financed through the NRRP.