August 6 (SeeNews) - Moldova has inaugurated an EU-funded bypass road around Ungheni, a city which sits on the country’s border checkpoint to the European Union, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said.
The construction of the 7.7 kilometre-long road was financed by the EU and is part of a large-scale programme to upgrade and build key roads in the country, the bank said in a press release on Friday.
The projects are to be carried out with various investments and grant funding totalling 670 million euro ($776 million) from the EU, the EBRD, the European Investment Bank (EIB), the World Bank and the US government foreign aid agency Millennium Challenge Corporation
"The Ungheni bypass road which we open today will make this country’s connection with the European Union and with the EU border easier and more convenient. It will also facilitate business and exchange of goods and merchandise, while reducing congestion and lowering pollution for the benefit of the people who live here," Peter Michalko, Head of the EU delegation in Moldova, said.
With two one-way lanes and several connecting roads, the bypass improves the connection to the EU border, shortening the distance from Chisinau by 11 kilometres. It will take people to their destination faster and more safely, while facilitating trade between Moldova and the EU, the EBRD said.
The new road will divert at least 400 heavy-duty vehicles daily from the city centre of Ungheni, reducing congestion, lowering pollution, keeping the air cleaner and improving the quality of life for around 35,000 local inhabitants of the city and its surrounds.
($=0.8637 euro)