15 years after its inauguration, the Basarab Passage finally becomes legal. The City Hall of the Capital managed to unblock the reception procedures and reached an agreement with the builder to start the repair and safety works. The interventions are scheduled for the summer of this year, and the costs will be shared between the municipality and the contractor.
The Bessarabian Passage. PHOTO: Shutterstock
The first steps to build the Basarab Passage were taken in the early 2000s, when Traian Băsescu was mayor general.
Begun in 2006, under the mandate of Adriean Videanu, and inaugurated in 2011 by Sorin Oprescu, the Basarab Passage would cost 240 million euros, double the initially agreed amount. The builder, the Astaldi – FCC association, later refused to carry out the remaining works, the passage did not benefit from warranty and maintenance, and the moving sidewalk that should have connected the North Station ended up in disrepair. In January 2024, a piece of concrete broke off and fell on top of a car on Calea Griviței.
The first steps to unblock the situation were taken by the former mayor, Nicușor Dan, who started discussions with the builder’s representatives in order to reach an agreement. Finally, the City Hall of the Capital completed the reception this year, so that the builder can start the remediation.
In an official response provided to Adevărul’s request, the General Directorate of Investments of the Capital City Hall clarified the next steps. The institution has already issued the urban planning certificate and submitted the documentation for the issuance of the building permit.
The total cost of the works will be established only after the completion of the technical project, the approval of the general estimate and the updating of the technical-economic indicators. At that moment, the distribution of costs between Bucharest City Hall and the contractor will be determined exactly, depending on the nature of the necessary interventions.
“I finally received the Basarab Passage”
The construction site itself will open after the approval of the technical project and obtaining the authorization. The authorities will establish temporary traffic restrictions strictly on the areas directly affected by the works.
“I finally received the Basarab Passage. And you don’t know what I went through in the short period since I was mayor general. Okay, I admit, the discussions had started before I came. I didn’t do the reception because I didn’t have the documents. Why didn’t I have them anymore? That he had taken their DNA. And the DNA has to be given back. I gave them the original and for years they couldn’t do the reception. But we overcame this moment, we negotiated.” declared the general mayor, Ciprian Ciucu.
For the necessary repairs, the Capital City Hall provided a budget of 20 million lei. The costs will be shared. Defects caused by lack of maintenance and failure to receive on time will be paid by the municipality, and another part of the expenses will be covered by the builder.
“We are working to make it safe. Part of the expenses will be borne by the builder, and in this way I thank him. And those that came from malfunctions due to non-acceptance of the works, because he broke down over time, rusted and so on, it is normal for us to assume them. It is not the builder’s fault that we did not receive them. Again, maybe for some it is bad news, in the summer there will be works on Basarab as well. This is life, what should we do?”, the mayor also declared.
Pro Infrastructure: “It’s not a structural danger”
Civil society followed the negotiations closely. Ionuț Ciurea, the president of the Pro Infrastructure Association, provided a detailed analysis of the situation at the Basarab Pass for “Adevărul”.
“So now, in the summer, we should see repairs. Repairs, please, a heavier maintenance, like that, not really spoiling here and there. You have to walk under it. It’s not going to break the plate or anything, so not something massive. The poobles are not replaced. Those pooble anchors are refurbished. I mean, they’re somewhat average works, so to speak, intervention, not something strictly decorative. It’s like putting a washing machine through you change one window at a time, you change the furniture around the house, like that. We don’t walk around the foundation, but it’s not just washable in the living room. It’s something in between, more serious maintenance.” explained Ionuț Ciurea for “Adevărul”.
Although at first sight the asphalt carpet would not require a total replacement, the president of Pro Infrastructura points out that the true state of degradation of the passage will only be visible once the construction site begins.
“Sure, asphalt layer shouldn’t. I don’t think they’ll intervene on it, only if they find a problem. It’s like at the dentist, the moment your table hurts, you go there, they don’t take an x-ray until you go in… that they do the x-ray too, but often they don’t go in to see exactly what’s there. You won’t know how much it hurts and how much it costs you. So it’s possible that if it’s seen when they intervene that it’s needed something more, this thing is not excluded, because the longer you leave it in disrepair and the longer you postpone the normal maintenance work, the more chances you have that the degradations will accelerate. And if you had done it in time, you would not have let the water in… Water and salt – not good. Concrete does not feel good with water and salt, but iron really does not feel good.” explained Ionuț Ciurea.
On the other hand, although the passage is not in a structural danger, emphasizes Ionuț Ciurea, it urgently needs the replacement of the metal parapet, which is in an advanced state of degradation, as well as other elements.
“I mean, if you push harder on some, I think they jump. So there are also cosmetic things and safety things that need to be done. It’s not a structural danger, so the Basarab Bridge doesn’t fall or something. Even without these works, it’s still standing, but it’s not just cosmetic either. That’s it. The Capital City Hall gave me an answer that the technical project has not yet been completed. So I’m doing a little bit of design there. Somehow they agreed in principle, but I don’t know if they really have fully signed all the ” explained Ionuț Ciurea.
