Pociatek Can Sign Construction Contract for Bratislava Bypass

Bratislava, February 17 (TASR) – At its session on Wednesday the Government gave its final approval to Transport, Construction and Regional Development Minister Jan Pociatek to sign a contract for the construction of a motorway bypass around Bratislava via a PPP project.

According to a Cabinet resolution, Pociatek should sign the contract with the tender winner by the end of February.

The tender, which was carried out last year, was won by a consortium led by Spanish company Cintra. It promised to build the bypass in four years and four months for annual instalments of €56.72 million over 30 years of operating the road, before being transferred into state ownership.

After 30 years and with inflation taken into account the bypass should cost around €1.9 billion. According to the original estimate, the yearly instalments should have ranged between €135 million and €151 million. This would have meant a total cost of up to €4.53 billion.

The project is to feature sections of the D4 motorway and R7 expressway. After signing the construction contract, the tender winner needs to seal the project with a financing contract.

According to the ministry’s estimate, the construction work will begin in the spring, as some work can be carried out prior to the financing contract. Construction should be completed in 2020.

Some Opposition parties have opposed signing the project before the parliamentary election on March 5. The Christian Democrats (KDH) and Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) have called on the Government to leave this move to the next cabinet.