Almost twenty years after the announcement of the project, Bulgaria and Romania have started real actions for the construction of a third bridge over the Danube. The two countries submitted a joint project to the European Commission for a feasibility study on a second Ruse-Giurgiu bridge. With this, the two countries are actually starting the process of building a second combined road and rail bridge over the Danube at Ruse.
The Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov signed a letter of joint commitment with the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure of Romania, with which both countries confirm their position that the project is a priority and both governments will work for its implementation.
The activities will be coordinated by the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Bulgaria and the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of Romania. The Bulgarian Ministry, together with its associated partners NKZI and RIA, will carry out the study on the connecting infrastructure in the country. The Bulgarian financial contribution to the project is EUR 1.4 million (BGN 2.73 million), up to 50% of which is expected to be a grant under the Connecting Europe Facility.
The studies will analyse the different routes and the points from which the bridge will start in Ruse and Giurgiu respectively and will support the selection of a technical solution.
In early 2024 it is expected to be known whether the project has been approved for funding. The timetable envisages signing a contract with the EC by mid-2024 and implementation by the end of 2026, when the two countries will decide on the location and method of financing the infrastructure facility.
The possibility of using public-private partnership mechanisms for the construction of the facility will also be analysed. This would significantly reduce the timeframe for the full implementation of the bridge and attract additional funding from other sources.
