TRANSPORT Minister Ján Figeľ (KDH) gave the nod to the contract conclusion between the National Highway Company (NDS) and the Bratislava-based firm Skanska SK for construction of a 14-kilometre section of the R4 dual carriageway between Košice and Milhošť, near the border with Hungary, the SITA newswire reported.
Figeľ expected the contract to be inked soon and when it is signed, construction can start.
The deadline for the project is late 2012, which means that the contractor has less than 30 months to complete the section.
Skanska submitted a bid with the lowest price (€78 million, excluding VAT). The cost of the project was earlier estimated to be around €17 million.
After being appointed to his position, Figeľ ordered companies under the jurisdiction of his ministry not to sign new contracts.
In this case, the approval of the managing authority of the Transport Operational Programme, namely the Transport Ministry, was also required ni order to use finances from EU funds.
Consequently, the procurer of the construction works, the NDS, asked Figeľ to issue approval for the contract conclusion.
