Sibiu gets ready to greet its first smart street

The upgrade works on the path will make it more cycling and public transport friendly and will contribute to the Romanian city’s climate ambitions

On December 30, the Mayor of Sibiu Astrid Fodor signed the contract for the execution of works on Calea Dumbrăvii, the section between Mihai Viteazu Boulevard and Ludoș Street which will eventually turn out to be the city’s first smart street. The agreement was signed with the company SC Terra Building SRL Sibiu, represented by Bacilă Stefan Mihai, general manager, which won the contract following a procurement procedure.

The value of the contract is 18.7 million lei and the project will be completed within 14 months of March 2021.

Going smart and protecting the environment

The project involves several key pieces of upgrades and developments, including:

• The creation of 2.4 km of safe bike lanes along the street, from Mihai Viteazu Boulevard to Ludoș Street in the Valea Aurie neighbourhood. In order to ensure access to a bicycle, two bicycle rental centers will be created in the area within the Sibiu Bike City project, which is also being carried out. Bicycle racks will also be installed along the street.
• The setting up of a lane dedicated exclusively to buses, on the section between Mihai Viteazu Boulevard and Siretului Street and allowing buses to run in the opposite direction to car traffic, from Mihai Viteazu Blvd. to Siretului Street. This will increase the speed of public transport, which will have the conditions to comply more closely with the traffic schedule. The project also includes the arrangement of three new bus stations.

Furthermore, along this route, electric buses will also be introduced, which will be purchased through another project carried out by Sibiu City Hall in partnership with the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration. In this way, the City of Sibiu continues the concrete measures to reduce the harmful emissions generated by car traffic.

• The redevelopment of sidewalks, thus encouraging walking and trips to an important recreational area of ​​Sibiu the Zoo - Astra Museum. The sidewalks will have a width of between 2 and 2.5 meters. They will be provided at the intersection with car traffic and bike lanes with a guidance system for people with disabilities. Also, at the intersections, access ramps will be created between the sidewalk and the road.

The sidewalks will be bordered by green areas: approximately 10,000 square meters of lawn and shrubs and over 200 trees. Garbage bins and benches will be placed on both sidewalks, two of which are smart.

Thanks to this project Sibiu is well on its way to tackling not only problems of mobility but also of the environment and overall health of the city.