The OSCE mission to Moldova provided the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure the report regarding the full technical expertise of the bridge at Gura Bâcului and Bîcioc, which connects the two banks of the Dniester. The bridge was reopened by Chișinău and Tiraspol two years ago, as part of the Transnistrian settlement process, after a period of 25 years of discontinuation of operation.

According to an OSCE Mission press release, the bridge is part of an international transport corridor which links the port of Odessa with the Republic of Moldova and the European Union. The bridge can support road traffic of up to ten tons in weight. In order to realize the full potential of the bridge, the OSCE Mission commissioned a technical expertise. The report provides an estimate of the required repair works in order to restore the bridge to its original capacity.

"This technical expertise provides reference data, based on which the subsequent bridge reconstruction activities can be carried out. It is the first but also the most important stage of the reconstruction process", said the deputy head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, Antti Karttunen, while presenting the report to Svetlana Dogotaru, secretary of state at the MEI.

The improved bridge infrastructure represents a solid potential for the  enhancement of economic development, while also facilitates movement between the two banks of the Dniester. In this respect, some progress was achieved in September 2019, when the two parties agreed to removal the prior notification procedure for civil servants from the Republic of Moldova who travel privately to the left bank.

The reopening of the bridge is one of the eight confidence-building measures included by Chișinău and Tiraspol in the "Berlin-plus" package. By bringing the two sides closer together, it resulted in the signing of five additional agreements regarding access to agricultural land in the Dubăsari district, the operation of Latin spelling schools on the left bank, the certification of Transnistrian university diplomas and the so-called "registration plates" agreement. Since 2017, the parties have achieved significant progress in the implementation of the five agreements, which has simplified the lives of people on both banks.

The bridge near Gura Bâcului was bombed in 1992.