On August 5, the Bucharest Court of Appeal suspended the contract for section 4 of the A8 motorway — the very segment that reaches Ungheni. The contract, signed in July with the Italian consortium Itinera–Saipem–ICM, is worth 3.5 billion lei excluding VAT and covers 15.47 km on Romanian territory plus approximately 5 km on the territory of the Republic of Moldova (from the bridge to the Ungheni bypass), valued at approximately 320.5 million lei. Construction cannot begin while the suspension is in effect. The next court hearing is on September 30.
Who challenged it and why
Two Romanian construction firms — Construcții Erbașu and Concelex — challenged the tender results. Erbașu cites an Italian antitrust sanction against Itinera, with a fine of EUR 1.186 million from December 2022. Concelex cites a criminal conviction of Saipem in Algeria, with estimated damages of approximately EUR 192 million, and challenges CNIR’s evaluation of the bids.
Nearly contracted, nearly without construction sites
In an analysis published on August 31 in Ziarul de Iași, Adrian Covăsnianu — a founding member of the “Moldova Vrea Autostradă” association and a former minister and state secretary at the Ministry of Transport — notes a paradox: 90.6% of the A8 motorway is covered by signed contracts (274 km out of over 303), but the transformation of contracts into active construction sites has been slow.
On the Iași section — the one that directly touches Ungheni — not a single kilometre is under construction:
- T4 DN24–Ungheni Border (15.47 km): contract signed but suspended by court.
- T2 Târgu Frumos–Lețcani (28.6 km): no contract. Challenges by Strabag, Makyol and Kalyon were partially upheld by CNSC on July 31; CNIR estimates the re-evaluation will be completed by the end of September.
- T1 Moțca–Târgu Frumos and T3 Lețcani–DN24: contracts signed in May 2026; design work only began on August 24.
The only investment on the Iași section that is under construction remains the Prut bridge at Ungheni, at 55% physical progress as of mid-August.
Un pod terminat înaintea conexiunilor sale ar avea, temporar, o utilitate limitată. Adrian Covăsnianu, in Ziarul de Iași, August 31, 2026 (Translation by the editors: “A bridge completed before its connections would have, temporarily, limited utility”)
The Moldovan feasibility study is not affected
On the Moldovan side, the feasibility study for the rest of the motorway (Ungheni–Chișinău, 125 km, valued at 88 million lei) is a separate project, tendered by the National Agency for the Safe Development of Motorways. The study delivery deadline is September 30, 2027, and construction cannot be tendered before its completion.
The suspension of the T4 contract has been in effect since August 5. Next court hearing: September 30, 2026.