Highways in Romania

Highways in Romania as of December 23rd, 2013. The white middle line depicts sections in use, dotted middle line depicts sections currently in execution

Highways in Romania are dual carriageways, grade separated with controlled-access, designed for high speeds. In 2012, legislation amendments defined two types of highways: motorways (Romanian: Autostrazi) and expressways (Romanian: Drumuri expres).

The main differences are that motorways have emergency lanes and the maximum allowed speed limit is 130 km/h (81 mph), while expressways do not and the speed limit is 100 km/h (62 mph).

The EU accession of the country in 2007, and the improved in the recent years utilization of the allocated EU funds enabled Romania to speed up the expansion of its highway network. As of December 2013, 632 km (393 mi) of motorways are in service, with another being under various stages of construction.

There are no toll roads in Romania, but a vignette is required, except for municipal roads.

The Government of Romania says it plans to spend 4 billion euro in the next years on 289 km of new motorways; another 5 billion euro for highway construction will come from the EU’s transport operational programme, according to official data.^[1] There is a plan for roughly 2,000 km of highways that would connect all major cities in Romania to highways in Western and Central Europe.

Motorways

As of December 2013, 632 km are already in use. Currently under construction is A1 Motorway part of the Pan European IV Corridor. Also under construction are parts of A3 - Autostrada Transilvania, which is the largest motorway project in Europe with a length of 588 km from Bucharest to Oradea (near the Hungarian border). This project is expected to be completed by 2018. This project has been renegotiated with Bechtel which will finish a remaining 64 km that were started. The rest will be reauctioned and as a result of renegotiations with the EU, the remaining segments will receive funds from the EU. This is due to the cancelation of the Bechtel contract which was extremely expensive.

Timișoara–Arad (32 km) and Arad's ring-road (12 km), part of the A1 motorway (Bucharest–Nădlac) are another projects completed in 2011. In the same year, half of Constanța's ring-road was ready.^[2]

In order to complete another 100 km of motorway by end of 2010, Romanian Government struggled to allocate the necessary funds for 55 km motorway, part of the Bucharest–Ploieşti motorway (from a total of 62 km). The newest motorways that have been opened are Deva-Orăștie bypass (32.5 km) and the remaining sections of A2.

A1 Motorway

At this moment the following highways are done or in progress: A1: Bucharest–Pitești–Sibiu–Deva–Timișoara–Arad–Nădlac 558 km – from which 300 km are already in service; there are the sector Bucharest-Pitesti, finished before 1989, the bypass of Sibiu and the sector Timisoara-Arad; some of the other sectors are in progress with a deadline in 2013 and 2014 and for some others an auction for finding a constructor still need to take place.

A2 (Sun motorway)

A2: Bucharest–Constanța 206 km – it is finished in totality.

A3 (Transylvania motorway)

"Transylvania highway", a mooted 415 km-long road that would connect the north-western region with Bucharest and Hungary. Earlier this month the government terminated a contract with Bechtel, an American engineering giant, to build the road.

A3: Bucharest–Brașov–Oradea–Borș 582 km – only 110 km are in service from this highway, 64 km between Bucharest and Ploiești and 46 km on the Cluj-Napoca bypass; there is not a final deadline for finishing the other sectors as the original contract with Bechtel was broken and another company should be found for finishing the construction. The Comarnic-Brașov segment (58 km) is currently being tendered for a concession agreement. Works on this section should start by the end of 2013.

A4 Motorway

A4: Constanța bypass 22 km – in service

Other planned motorways

Besides these motorways there are other two A5 Ploiești-Albița and Târgu Mureș-Ungheni which are just on the planning phase and have a preliminary delivery date around 2018-2020. There are also plans to build the southern section of the Bucharest Motorway Ring. Works on this section should begin by the end of 2013. Two other projects have been recently brought up, the Craiova-Pitești and Sebes-Turda motorways, the first one having the same priority as the Comarnic-Brașov and Bucharest Southern Motorway Ring projects.

List

Trunk Motorway	Route	Planned (km) / Built (km)	Remarks
A1 motorway	Bucharest – Piteşti – Râmnicu Vâlcea – Sibiu – Deva – Timişoara – Arad – Nădlac –> Hungary	576 / 300	Estimated completion date: 2020. Bucharest – Piteşti (96 km), Piteşti bypass (13.6 km), Sibiu bypass (17.5 km), Orăștie – Deva (32.5 km) and Timişoara - Arad (54 km) sections are operational; works ongoing on 137 km between Nădlac and Sibiu; the remaining 97 km between Nădlac and Sibiu awarded in 2013. Lugoj – Deva, lot 1 and Orăștie – Sibiu, lots 1, 2 and 4 opened on 19 December 2013.
A2 motorway	Bucharest – Feteşti – Cernavodă – Constanţa	206 / 206	Operational on the entire length; first fully completed Romanian motorway.
A3 motorway	Bucharest – Ploieşti – Braşov – Sighișoara – Târgu Mureș – Cluj-Napoca – Zalău – Oradea – Borș –> Hungary	584 / 107	Estimated completion date: 2020; sections under construction: Bucharest Ring Road – Bucharest (6.5 km); Bucharest Ring Road – Ploieşti (55 km) and Câmpia Turzii – Gilǎu (52 km) sectors operational. Comarnic – Braşov (55 km) tendered as a concession in 2013.
A4 motorway	Ovidiu – Agigea – Mangalia – Vama Veche –> Bulgaria	~60 / 22	Constanţa bypass complete, including the Port of Constanţa – Agigea segment (2.1 km). Agigea – Vama Veche section planned.
A6 motorway	Junction with A1 near Lugoj – Drobeta-Turnu Severin – Calafat – Craiova – Alexandria – Bucharest	n/a / 11	Lugoj bypass opened on 19 December 2013. Bucharest-Alexandria planned.[citation needed]
A10 motorway	Junction with A1 near Sebeș – Junction with A3 near Turda	70 / 0	Contracts signed for the 4 lots.[citation needed]
Bucharest motorway ring road	Beltway around Bucharest	100 / 0	South Ring Road Motorway (48 km) tendered as a concession in 2013. North Ring Road Motorway (52 km) planned.[citation needed]
Piteşti–Craiova motorway	Junction with A1 near Piteşti – Slatina – Craiova	120 / 0	Tendered as a concession contract in 2013.[citation needed]
Ploieşti–Albiţa motorway	Splitting from A3 near Ploieşti – Buzău – Focşani – Albiţa –> Moldova	288 / 0	Planned; proposed for a concession contract.
East–West motorway	Moldova –> Iași – Târgu Frumos – Săbăoani – Târgu Neamţ – Poiana Largului – Ditrău – Târgu Mureș – Junction with A3	307 / 0	Planned.

History

Motorways are identified by A followed by a number. As of December 2013, Romania has in use 632 km of motorway, with another 245 km under construction.^[3] In recent years, a master plan for the national motorway network has been developed and many works have begun around the country,^[4] which will result in significant changes by 2015.^[5]

There are few tolls for using roads in Romania. There is one at the Giurgeni – Vadu Oii Bridge over the river Danube on highway DN2A at Vadu Oii and one at the Cernavodă Bridge, on the A2 motorway, a 17 km long section between Feteşti and Cernavodă which consists of two road/railway bridges. Nevertheless every owner of a car that uses a motorway (A) or a national road (DN) in Romania must purchase a vignette (rovinietă) from any of the main petrol stations or at any post office throughout the country.^[6]

The Romanian National Company of Motorways and National Roads (CNADNR) intends to organize a tender for the design and construction of two highway projects. The planned new highway schemes are for Craiova-Pitesti and Ploiesti-Buzau-Focsani, and will value up to EUR 2 billion.^[7]

Gallery

• 

  A1 motorway between Bucharest and Pitești

• 

  A1 motorway as Pitești bypass

• 

  A1 motorway as Sibiu bypass, opened in 2010

• 

  A1 motorway near Timișoara

See also

• Transportation in Romania
• Romania
• European routes
• List of roads and highways

References

External links

• Romanian National Company of Motorways and National Roads

v t e Main roads in Romania Motorways A1 A2 A3 A4 A6 Planned motorways Ploiești–Albița East–West Pitești–Craiova Sebeș–Turda Bucharest Ring Road Main national roads DN1 DN2 DN3 DN4 DN5 DN6 DN7 CB Other national roads DN1B DN67C DN7C DN10 DN100 DN21