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Fico Launches Site Clearance Prior to Building of Remaining D1 Section
Friday 05 February 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Hricovske Podhradie, February 5 (TASR) – According to Prime Minister Robert Fico, despite the financial crisis, the Government has managed to fast-track the start of construction of another four D1 motorway sections financed within the third package of the so-called PPP (public private partnership) projects.
The four sections are expected to finalise the uninterrupted motorway connection between Bratislava and Kosice, Premier Fico said on Friday in Hricovske Podhradie (near Zilina), where he officially launched the site clearance works.
"It's very complicated to make decisions (on projects) requiring large amounts. We've been carefully considering this ... but we're sticking to the idea that the most expensive motorway is the one that doesn't exist. I believe time schedules will be met, and that all is going to end up well for this massive construction," said Fico.
The third PPP package includes the following D1 motorway sections: Hricovske Podhradie - Lietavska Lucka, Lietavska Lucka -Visnove and Visnove - Dubna Skala (all Zilina region). Also, construction works on a feeder road near Lietavska Lucka is included in the package.
The investment value of the project was set to stand on €1.99 billion (VAT excluded), with the time span for repaying the whole PPP project set at 33.25 years, including 3.25-4.75 years for motorway construction works alone. The German consortium Hochtief PPP Solutions GmbH that won the tender will therefore run the motorway sections for three decades.
The consortium has recently announced, however costs of the project might be reduced to €1.8 billion, or could drop to even €1.75 billion in the future.
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