The Curtea de Argeș tunnel on the Sibiu-Pitești motorway cannot enter service in the near term, Transport Minister Ștefan-Ovidiu Popa said on Monday. The announcement shifts attention from the construction itself to the conditions required to run a road tunnel: finished civil works alone do not make a route usable.
Popa said staff are missing for monitoring, maintenance and emergency intervention. Those are not peripheral administrative tasks. In a tunnel, they are part of the capacity to manage incidents, maintain systems and operate the road safely.
The minister attributed the blocked hiring to former transport minister Radu Miruță. Digi24 reported the statement, but the supplied material contains no hiring records, operating assessment or response from Miruță. The claim about political responsibility should therefore be treated as Popa’s position, rather than as an established finding on the cause of the delay.
Popa also referred to criticism of his recent mispronunciation of the tunnel’s name, saying predecessors had focused on the difference between “Momoa” and “Momaia.” That dispute is less important than the practical question for drivers: who will provide the staff and operating arrangements without which the tunnel cannot open.
The material does not provide the planned opening date, a revised timetable, the number of posts needed or the formal status of recruitment. Still, the minister’s statement identifies a specific operational gap. Delivery of a tunnel on the Sibiu-Pitești corridor requires more than completed construction; it requires an operating structure able to keep the route open and safe.
Sources
- Digi24 · Source date: 2026-11-09
Independent editorial content. WUA is not affiliated with any political party. 2026-11-09