The third Bulgarian-Romanian bridge across the Danube will be operational in 2035 at the earliest

Lili Granitska, Mediapool; Victor Cozmei, HotNews, August 21, 2024

Kilometres-long queues of trucks and cars waiting at the bridges over the Danube at Vidin and Ruse – this has been the daily routine at the two border crossings in recent years. Truck drivers complain they sometimes wait 48 hours to cross. The two bridges cannot cope with the heavy traffic. When will there be a third bridge across the Danube between Bulgaria and Romania is a question of increasing difficulty?

In the last 150 years, only two bridges have been built along the 406-kilometer Danube border between Bulgaria and Romania. Where the Danube crosses a country, the bridges are usually about 20 km apart. In Hungary’s capital Budapest, for example, there are 8 bridges across the Danube.

The first bridge between Bulgaria and Romania connects Ruse and Giurgiu. It is known as the “Friendship Bridge”. It was built 70 years ago under socialism. It was officially opened on June 20, 1954.

Negotiations for a second bridge between the two countries began after the changes under Ivan Kostov’s government and were dictated by the war in the former Yugoslavia. Then Bulgaria took the lead and, with much hard work and diplomacy, managed to force the facility to be between Vidin and Calafat. It took a little over 10 years to build the bridge itself. It was named ‘New Europe’ after it was built with EU funding. It was officially opened on June 14, 2013 by the government of Plamen Oresharski.

Dispute over third bridge

A year after the inauguration of the New Europe Bridge, the first negotiations between Bulgaria and Romania began to identify suitable locations for more bridges on both sides of the Danube. Since Sofia had the leading role in choosing the location for the second bridge, this right now belonged to Bucharest.

Thus, as early as 2014, a study was commissioned to the consulting firm TRANSPROJECT 2001 in partnership with the Danish firm EKJ, under a contract with the Romanian Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration. The analysis showed 4 possible locations for a third link between the two countries. These were Silistra – Călărași, Nikopol – Turnu Măgurele and Oryahovo – Bechet, as well as another bridge between Ruse and Giurgiu. Bulgaria’s Integrated Transport Strategy 2030 foresees the construction of the four Danube bridges between 2029 and 2034.

But disputes between the two sides over the location have begun. Romania has insisted that the Danube dredging project be implemented first, so that the Danube is navigable all year round. During droughts in some areas, the lower reaches of the river would become snowy and ships could not navigate.

Bulgaria, on the other hand, insisted that the third bridge should again be between Ruse and Giurgiu. Bucharest was uncharmed. Initially, it insisted that it be between Oryahovo and Bechet, until, surprisingly, in 2019, then prime minister and GERB leader Boyko Borissov announced that the third bridge would be between Svishtov and Zimnicea, at the insistence of the Romanian side.

The Romanians’ arguments, which are also shared by Bulgarian specialists, is that it is not strategically good that both bridges are in Ruse. First of all is the pollution of the city by traffic. The older citizens of Ruse remember well the gassings at a chemical plant in Romania in the times of socialism. It was because of them that the first protests against Todor Zhivkov’s regime started in the city on the Danube.

In 2018, the Institute for Market Economics issued a report that two-thirds of Bulgaria’s territory is an “economic desert”, and the main reason for this is the lack of infrastructure. From this point of view, it is not efficient for the development of the regions along the 308 km of the Danube not to have one bridge, and in Ruse to have two.

Last but not least, in the event of war, two bridges together are an easy target for possible attack.

In addition to these arguments, the Romanian side puts forward another one – they are looking for a faster connection between Sofia and Bucharest, as the road through Ruse lengthens the trip. However, Bulgaria counters that the highway from Ruse to Veliko Tarnovo is part of the European Transport Corridor IX, which starts in the Finnish capital Helsinki, passes through St. Petersburg – Moscow – Kiev – Chisinau – Bucharest – Ruse – Stara Zagora – Dimitrovgrad and ends in the Greek port of Alexandroupolis.

In June 2022, both sides reached a mutual compromise by signing an agreement. Bulgaria agreed to deepen the Danube in the Bulgarian section and a month later it started. Romania, on the other hand, agreed that the third bridge would be between Ruse and Giurgiu and started the procedure.

Romania doesn’t worry too much

In practical terms, Romania holds the key to the implementation of the third bridge over the Danube. Bulgaria’s task is to do almost nothing, apart from insisting to Bucharest and the European Commission that things happen faster.

Romania is leading the project and will organize all the procedures related to the feasibility study, selection of consultants, builders, supervision, etc. Bulgaria will choose only one builder for the infrastructure leading to the bridge on its territory.

Earlier this year, the project to build a third bridge across the Danube finally got the green light from Brussels. The European executive agency for climate, infrastructure and environment announced that it is earmarking €7m for feasibility studies for the construction of a new rail and road bridge across the Danube between Ruse and Giurgiu.

The funding comes under the Connecting Europe Facility, the main funding instrument for the trans-European transport network. The bridge is part of the Trans-European Transport Network and is essential for NATO’s south-eastern flank’s response to a military threat.

The total budget for the project to study the route of the new bridge is €13.7 million, with the remaining funds to be provided from the Bulgarian and Romanian budgets.

However, for more than half a year, the Romanian side has been postponing the announcement of a public tender to select a contractor for the feasibility studies, which will take two years. These should determine exactly where the second bridge between Ruse and Giurgiu and the third between Bulgaria and Romania will be built.

The tender will be announced soon, Romanian transport minister Sorin Grindeanu promised in early August. He added that the European Commission has already approved the documentation and the tender will be launched.

“We submitted and it was approved under the Connecting Europe Facility – this is how all European projects start, with a feasibility study. We will build a new bridge across the Danube to double the existing one with European funding,” Grindeanu said, without committing to a deadline.

Judging by the experience of the launch of the second bridge between Vidin and Calafat, from the feasibility study to the commissioning of the facility will take at best around ten years.

The feasibility study will take two years. Another two years will be needed to select the contractors – builders, consultants, supervision – and three years for the actual construction, which may take longer if unforeseen circumstances arise.

What is clear is that the new bridge will be like the other two – with a road section for cars and a rail section for trains. Everyone now hopes that Romania will speed things up and the bridge will finally be built.

Photo: The third bridge across the Danube between Bulgaria and Romania will again be between Ruse and Giurgiu. Its exact location will be determined during feasibility studies, which are about to start. The Bulgarian section of the 70-year-old ‘Friendship Bridge’ is being renovated (source: Road Infrastructure Agency)

This article was produced as part of the PULSE project, a European initiative supporting cross-border journalistic cooperation. Lili Granitska (Mediapool.bg, Bulgaria); Victor Cozmei (HotNews.ro, Romania).

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