Italian construction company Astaldi has secured a €435m contract in a joint venture with Japanese company IHI to build a new suspension bridge over the Danube, in the Braila area of Romania.

Astaldi holds a 60% stake in the JV, while the remaining 40% interest is with IHI.

The contract has been awarded by CNAIR, the state company under Romania’s Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.

The scope of the contract includes designing and building of a 1,975m-long suspension bridge with a main span of 1,120m and two side spans 490m and 365m long.

It also includes the building of two bridge access viaducts measuring 110m, as well as 23km of connecting roads.

“The first year has been allocated to design the bridge, while the main construction works are expected to take three years.”

The first year has been allocated to design the bridge, while the main construction works are expected to take three years.

The project is part of the Master Plan for the country’s transport, and would be financed with EU funds under the Large Infrastructure Operational Programme (LIOP).

Astaldi and IHI previously collaborated to construct the Osman Gazi Bridge in Turkey, as well as building a section of the Gebze-Orhangazi-Izmir Motorway.

Established in Romania for more than 25 years, the Astaldi Group has been associated in building more than 100km of railways and undergrounds, 250km of roads and motorways and two international airports.

The company is currently engaged in constructing the A1-Curiel limited-access motorway, the Ogra-Campia Turzii motorway section and 120km of the Curtici-Simeria double-track railway line in the country.