The Republic of Moldova and Romania signed, today, the contracts for developing the Feasibility Studies necessary for the construction of four new bridges over the Prut. The event concluded the work of a Moldovan–Romanian working group on cooperation in the field of transportation and transport infrastructure, which met in Chișinău from February 5 to 7.
These projects include:
- The new Stânca (RO) – Costeşti (MD) bridge, whose location will be in Botoșani County and Râșcani District, south of the current customs point operating on DN29E;
- The new Bumbăta (RO) – Leova (MD) bridge, which will be situated in eastern Romania (Vaslui County) and southwestern Moldova (Leova District);
- The new Fălciu (RO) – Leca (MD) bridge, whose alignment will cross Vaslui County and Cantemir District;
- The new Răducăneni (RO) – Bărboieni (MD) bridge, located in eastern Romania (Iași County) and western Moldova (Nisporeni District).
“Within these investment projects, financed by Romania, at least the following technical and economic indicators will be implemented: a new road bridge; a connecting road to the existing infrastructure; a border control point,” explained Irinel Ionel Scrioşteanu, State Secretary at Romania’s Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.
The official from Bucharest reiterated that Romania has already rehabilitated the first bridge over the Prut after the Revolution—Galați (RO) – Giurgiulești (MD)—and has initiated procedures for rehabilitating the following bridges:
- Albiţa (RO) – Leușeni (MD): the works involve demolishing the old bridge and reconstructing a new four-lane bridge;
- Sculeni (RO) – Sculeni (MD);
- Oancea (RO) – Cahul (MD).
According to Scrioşteanu, before Basarabia was taken over by Russia, there were 27 bridges over the Prut, most of which were dynamited by the Russian army after Basarabia separated from the Motherland.
“Thus, we have launched a strategy to reconstruct as many of the existing bridges as possible; it is time to move from ‘bridges of flowers’ to ‘bridges of stone’,” the source revealed.
For his part, Vice Prime Minister Vladimir Bolea, Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development, stated that today’s event is a genuine step toward closer relations between the Republic of Moldova and Romania—a process that will be realized through the construction of these bridges.
“Our cooperation with Romania is aimed not only at modernizing transport networks but also at creating concrete opportunities for the business community and boosting commercial flows. It is time to prepare for the future with an interconnected and efficient infrastructure,” said Vladimir Bolea.
The working group on cooperation in the field of transport and transport infrastructure, composed of representatives from the Republic of Moldova’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development and Romania’s Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, met in Chișinău between February 5 and 7, 2025.
Over the course of the three days, officials from both states discussed issues related to modernizing rail and road infrastructure, accelerating the digitalization of transport, making efficient use of the funds provided by Romania, and taking concrete measures to strengthen connectivity between the two countries.
The parties also discussed concrete solutions that will contribute to the rapid and efficient implementation of the established objectives, including the completion of works on the Fălciu railway segment, the reopening of the Cahul–Giurgiulești line, the development of road infrastructure through the construction of a bridge over the Prut at Ungheni, as well as the modernization of the existing bridges at Albiţa, Oancea, and Sculeni. In addition, interconnecting transport networks to European standards remains a priority objective.
