Bulgaria: Hope, Frustration Over Danube Bridge Project

Hopes and frustration are both rising in the poor Bulgarian region of Vidin, where a bridge across the Danube to Romania is currently under construction. Rumen Vidov, the mayor of Vidin, on the Bulgarian side of the river, told Balkan Insight: “Both local and foreign companies have shown serious interest in investing here.” He added that some firms had already bought some property or land and plan to open their businesses shortly before or after the bridge is ready.

Vidov expects hundreds of millions of euros to poured into the local economy when the bridge starts to operate, but expressed frustration with delays in construction because any real change to the area's economic situation isn't expected until the bridge is completed. The bridge, which is being built by the Spanish firm FCC, was scheduled to be completed this year. It recently announced new delays, prompting threats from Romanian officials that the country would consider seeking damages in court. Construction is now expected to be finished by mid 2012.

Vidin, a small border town, is located in one of the poorest regions in the country. At the moment the unemployment rate is above 14 per cent, which is 5 per cent higher than the average in Bulgaria. “The bridge will significantly increase the traffic in the region and Vidin has a real chance to turn into a logistic transport centre, which would stimulate the local economy,” he said. The mayor hopes that many firms will move their production units to Vidin, as the transport over the Danube is comparatively cheap and the bridge will make travel to western Europe easier.

Although the Danube forms much of the border between Bulgaria and Romania, at the moment there is only one bridge along the entire 470-kilometer river stretch that provides a road connection. This bridge is almost 60 years old and faces heavy traffic congestion - the two road and rail lanes are considered wholly inadequate for the increased volumes of traffic the bridge has seen in the years since it was built. The new bridge will have two motorway lanes and a rail track running in each direction. It will form part of a major EU transport corridor, Corridor IV, connecting Dresden in Germany with Thessaloniki in Greece and Istanbul in Turkey.

News source: Balkan Insight link: article