Podul Noua Europa (cum a fost denumit) are 1.971 metri lungime si a fost construit in sase ani. Prin comparatie, Podul lui Traian (primul pod pe Dunarea de Jos si cel mai lung timp de peste 1.000 de ani), ridicat in anul 105 de Apolodor din Damasc, avea 1.135 metri lungime si a fost construit intr-un an. Slabut progres in 2.000 de ani… blogs.ft/beyond-brics/2013/06/17/new-bridge-brings-hope-at-last-for-romania-and-bulgaria/ New bridge brings hope, at last, for Romania and Bulgaria Jun 17, 2013 6:13pm by Andrew MacDowall Bulgaria ’s Danubeside city of Vidin has a somewhat forlorn air. The great grey river slinks slowly by a long waterfront of panel blocks gazing across the water to the forests of Romania . Among the cracked pavements, despoiled Communist monuments and boarded-up shops, there are, however, a few glimmers of a noble past: an old quarter with some charm, and the stout fortress of Baba Vida, which stands on ancient foundations. The fortress and the elegant gateway to the old city – the Stambul Kapiya, or Istanbul gate – remind the visitor that this was once an important centre in a European network of empire and trade. The empires may be gone but Vidin may be about to recapture a more prominent position on the continent’s trade arteries. On June 14, a new bridge was inaugurated connecting the city with Calafat, across the Danube in Romania . The €300m, 1,971 metre-long bridge is only the second across the river between Bulgaria and Romania . The two countries are often bunched together by outsiders, but citizens of each often look askance across the Danube at one another, given their historical and linguistic differences. The other bridge, downstream between Ruse and Giurgiu , was built as late as 1954 and no longer carries its Communist-era name of Friendship Bridge . More than bringing the two neighbours closer together, the new bridge is expected to shorten travel times between southeast Europe (and Turkey and the Middle East beyond) and the centre and west of the continent. Balkan trunk routes – some of which are not worthy of such a grand title – are busy with traffic between Turkey and Europe . A number of European transport corridors criss-cross the region, strategically-important transcontinental routes that have been earmarked for development. But most are still under development, rather than complete. The hope is that the New Europe Bridge will ease a significant bottleneck and intensify competition for transit traffic in the region, for example bringing down motorway tolls and cutting customs times in Macedonia and Serbia , another major conduit for traffic across the Balkans. However, critics have pointed out that the striking new bridge has not been matched by motorway development to connect it on either side. And traffic from south and east to central Europe more naturally goes through Serbia – itself eyeing some major motorway investments – rather than Romania and Bulgaria . “The step itself is a positive move, although very late,” says Nikolai Bozhilov, executive chairman at Sofia -based Unimasters Logistics. “Only one bridge in more than 300 km of Danube banks was a communist-era anomaly. However, if you take into account the dire state of the “infrastructure” on both sides, things do not look well at all. It will be years before this bridge starts to play a more important role.” Vidin may have to wait a while for its renaissance, then. But at least the citizens of north-west Bulgaria will no longer have to take the long trip via Ruse , or wait for a ferry, to cross over the Danube for shopping, work and study. © THE FINANCIAL TIMES LTD 2013
Posted on: Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:50:38 +0000
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