Highways in Romania

[[File:Highways in Romania (detailed).svg|thumb|350px|The current situation of motorways and expressways in Romania

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Controlled-access highways in Romania are dual carriageways, grade separated with controlled-access, designed for high speeds. There are two types of highways, motorways (Autostrăzi, sing. Autostradă) and expressways (Drumuri expres, sing. Drum expres), with the main difference being that motorways have emergency lanes and slightly wider lanes. The maximum allowed speed limit for motorways is 130 km/h, while for expressways the limit is 120 km/h. There are no toll roads, but a road vignette is required.

The first construction works began in 1967, and the first highway segment was opened in 1972. However, extension of the high-speed road network lagged behind until after EU accession in 2007, when improved utilization of the allocated EU funds enabled Romania to speed up the expansion of its highway network.

Only A2 and A10 are completed, while A1 is mostly completed with all its remaining sections currently being built. A3 has five segments that are currently in use, with most of the remaining ones being in various stages of construction or tendering. A4, A6, A7 and A11 currently have only small segments in use. DEx12 was the first expressway to be opened in 2022. Construction contracts for all of A0, and part of A7, A8 and A13, are in various stages of execution or tendering.

As of 23 April 2024, there are 1,098.706 km of highways in service (of which 1,014.206 km motorways and 84.5 km expressways), with another 797.4 km with signed contracts in various stages of execution, and another 245.6 km being tendered.



Legislation
In 2012, legislation amendments defined two types of highways: motorways (Autostrăzi) and expressways (Drumuri expres). Motorways are identified by A followed by a number while expressways are identified by DEx followed by a number.

There are almost no tolls for using roads in Romania, with exception of large bridges. 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. Nevertheless, every owner of a car that uses a motorway (A), an expressway (DEx) 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.

The main differences are that motorways have wide emergency lanes (3 m) and slightly wider traffic lanes (by 3.75 versus 3.5 m). Expressways only have a narrow 1.5 m gravel roadside on the right side, added to the 0.5 m asphalted road edges, and may not have acceleration and deceleration lanes in mountainous areas. The maximum allowed speed limit is 130 km/h (80 km/h during poor conditions), while expressways have a maximum speed limit of 120 km/h. Generally, feasibility studies for motorways have a minimum projected speed of 100 km/h, while for expressways, it is reduced to 80 km/h.

First projects


The construction of the first motorway in Romania began in 1967, and the first segment of the A1 motorway, from Pitești to the capital Bucharest was opened in 1972 with a total length of 96 km. During the building of this motorway, a general plan was released in 1969, detailing the building of motorways in the incoming years, however, due to low volumes of traffic, the communist regime focused on improving current roads instead. Until the collapse of the communist regime in 1989, the building of a second motorway between Bucharest and Constanța had been planned, but only an 18 km long segment of A2 from Fetești to Cernavodă opened in 1987.

In the 1990s, the transition from a centralized economy to a market economy severely limited investment into infrastructure projects, and the entire motorway network totaled 113 km for many years until the construction project of A2 was resumed in 1998. Actual construction began in 2001, and three segments were finally opened in 2004 (Bucharest – Fundulea – Lehliu – Drajna) and another in 2007 (Drajna – Fetești) totaling around 130 km. The A1 motorway was extended also in 2007 with the Pitești bypass. A large sector of A3, termed "Transylvania Motorway", was awarded controversially in 2004 without bidding to the American Bechtel Corporation. Large cost overruns and delays ensued for this project, and after political controversies, most of the contracts were cancelled, and only some 50 km of the Cluj bypass (Gilău – Turda – Câmpia Turzii) were opened between 2009 and 2010, at much larger costs than initially signed in the contract.

Accessing EU funds
After joining the European Union in 2007, Romania was able to access funds for infrastructure development more easily, especially for those part of the Pan-European Corridor IV overlapping with A1 and A2 motorways. Many segments of the A1 motorway were started, and by the end of 2011 around 85 km were partially or fully opened: A1 segments Timișoara – Arad and Sibiu bypass; A2 segment Murfatlar – Constanța; A4 Constanța bypass and A11 Arad bypass. In 2012 more segments were opened on A1 (Deva – Simeria), A2 (Cernavodă – Murfatlar), A4, and the first A3 segment not built by  Bechtel (Bucharest – Ploiești). More segments were opened over the next few years: on A1 (part of Lugoj – Deva, Sibiu – Orăștie – Simeria, Arad – Nădlac, Timișoara – Lugoj), A6 (Balinț – Lugoj), and A4. A total of 726.6 km of motorways were in use in Romania in December 2015.

Political debates and changes in priorities of left-leaning parties after 2014 greatly slowed down motorway projects. With no new openings in 2016, a small segment part of Lugoj – Deva opening in 2017, almost half of the A10 (Aiud – Turda), and part of A3 (Ungheni – Iernut, Gilău – Nădășelu, and the entrance into Bucharest ) brought the total to over 800 km at the end of 2018. Two more segments of the A1 opened in 2019 (between Coșevița and Deva), providing an almost fully opened motorway (excluding a segment of 13.5 km) between the border with Hungary and Sibiu. In 2020, more segments were opened, on A3 (Biharia − Borș, Iernut − Chețani, Râșnov − Cristian),  on A10 (Sebeș – Alba Iulia), and the first segment of A7 (Bacău bypass) bringing the total to over 900 km of highways. In 2021, A10 completely opened (Alba Iulia – Aiud) and a segment of A3 (Târgu Mureș – Ungheni) opened to traffic. In 2022 the first segment of an expressway-class road in Romania open for traffic, the DEx12 expressway: between Balș and Slatina (16.0 km), and Slatina bypass.

Current projects
As of December 2023, over 750 km of controlled-access roads have contracted for construction. These contracts include: part of the A3 (some 68.6 km), all segments of the A1 between Sibiu – Pitești (122.9 km), almost all of the Bucharest Ring Motorway (91.4 km), a section of the A8 (29.9 km), as well as most segments of the A7 (319 km).

Currently the only completed motorways are A2 and A10. The unfinished segments of A1 and A3 are in various stages of tendering and construction, with multiple segments likely to finish by 2024-2028.

A few more motorways have received active discussion, including the termed A0 Bucharest Motorway Ring Road as an outer ring to the Bucharest Ring Road, with construction contracts signed or tendered for all of its 100 km length. The A7 motorway, between Ploiești and the border with Ukraine, has been planned to be part of the Pan-European Corridor IX, but so far only the Bacău bypass has been built. However, PNRR funding is ensured for most of its segments, with tendering contracts existing for its first 320 km till Pașcani. Beyond Pașcani, the Corridor IX is envisioned to be covered by the A8 (the East–West Motorway, a link between Moldavia and Transylvania), with the first construction contract signed in 2023. Highways crossing the Carpathian Mountains have been delayed due to large costs, with debates on whether to build the A3 (through long-term concession contracts) or the A1 (EU funds would cover most of the cost). The A13 motorway is planned to serve as an alternative to link the A1 and the A3, then to the A7, with the first 68 km currently being under construction.

A9 is planned to link A1 to Serbia, with plans to sign the first construction contracts not earlier than 2023. Expressways extending the current A11 as well as the DEx6 linking Galați and Brăila are currently being constructed. Plans to extend the current network with expressways exist for A4, A5 (planned to link to Bulgaria), A6, and A14 corridors, as well as several other smaller ones.

Future timeline
Contracted segments with estimated openings: Total: 148.98 km
 * 2024
 * A0: Bucharest South Ring, section 1 between Căldăraru (A2) - CTPark Bucharest South II (DN4) (9.0 km) (Q2)
 * DEx6: Brăila - Galați (10.77 km) (Q3)
 * A7: Buzău - Focșani (Petrești), section 4 between Milcovul - Petrești (10.94 km) (Q3)
 * A7: Buzău - Focșani (Petrești), section 1 between Buzău - Vadu Pășii (4.6 km) (Q3)
 * A7: Ploiești (Dumbrava) - Buzău, section 1 between Dumbrava - Mizil (21.0 km) (Q4)
 * A7: Ploiești (Dumbrava) - Buzău, section 2 between Mizil - Pietroasele (28.35 km) (Q4)
 * A3: Topa Mică - Suplacu de Barcău (3B), section 3B2 between Sutoru - Poarta Sălajului (12.24 km) (Q4)
 * DEx12: Craiova - Pitești, section 4 between Colonești - Pitești (Catanele-A1) (31.815 km) (Q4)
 * A0: Bucharest South Ring, section 1 between Bragadiru - Bâcu (DJ601A) (17.965 km) (Q4)
 * A0: Bucharest North Ring, section 3 between Pasărea Valley - Afumați (DN2) (2.3 km) (Q4)

Total: 374.282 km
 * 2025
 * DEx4: Petreștii de Jos (A3) - Dej, between Petreștii de Jos (A3) - Tureni (DN1) (4.957 km) (Q1)
 * DEx12: Craiova - Pitești, section 1 between Craiova - Spineni (17.7 km) (Q1)
 * A7: Buzău - Focșani (Petrești), sections 2 and 3 between Vadu Pășii - Râmnicelu (30.8 km) and Râmnicelu - Milcovul (36.1 km) (Q2)
 * A3: Gilău - Topa Mică (3A), section 3A2 between Nădășelu - Topa Mică (16.80 km); Topa Mică - Suplacu de Barcău (3B), section 3B1 between Topa Mică - Sutoru (13.26 km) (Q2)
 * A7: Ploiești (Dumbrava) - Buzău, section 3 between Pietroasele - Buzău (13.9 km) (Q3)
 * A1: Pitești - Sibiu, section 5 between Pitești - Curtea de Argeș (Noapteș) (30.35 km) (Q3)
 * A7: Focșani (Petrești) - Bacău, section1 between Focșani (Petrești) - Domnești Târg (35.6 km) (Q3)
 * A0: Bucharest North Ring, section 3 between Afumați (DN2) - Pantelimon (DN3) (6,3 km) (Q4)
 * A0: Bucharest North Ring, section 4 between Pantelimon (DN3) - Căldăraru (A2)(4.47 km) (Q4)
 * A3: Suplacu de Barcău - Borș (3C), section 3C1 between Suplacu de Barcău - Chiribiș (26.35 km) (Q4)
 * A7: Focșani (Petrești) - Bacău, sections 2 and 3 between Domnești Târg - Răcăciuni (38.78 km), and Răcăciuni - Bacău (21.522 km) (Q4)
 * A7: Bacău - Pașcani, sections 1, 2, and 3 between Bacău - Trifești (30.3 km), Trifești - Mircești (18.999 km), and Mircești - Pașcani (28.094 km) (Q4)

Total: 109.492 km
 * 2026:
 * A0: Bucharest North Ring, section 1 between Bâcu (DJ601A) - Corbeanca (Cherry Park) (17.50 km) (Q3)
 * A1: Deva - Lugoj, section 2E between Holdea - Margina (9.13 km) (Q3)
 * A3: Suplacu de Barcău - Borș (3C), section 3C2 between Chiribiș - Biharia (28.55 km) (Q3)
 * A8: Ditrău – Târgu Neamț (B), section 4 between Vânători-Neamț (DN15B) - Boureni (DN2) (29.912 km) (Q3)
 * A8: Târgu Mureș – Miercurea Nirajului, section 1 between Târgu Mureș (A3) - Miercurea Nirajului (DJ135) (24.4 km) (Q3)

Total: 81.136 km
 * 2027:
 * A1: Pitești - Sibiu, section 4 between Curtea de Argeș - Tigveni (9.861 km) (Q1)
 * A1: Pitești - Sibiu, section 3 Tigveni - Copăceni (37.4 km) (Q4)
 * A13: Boița (A1) - Făgăraș, sections 3 and 4 between, Arpașu de Jos (DN1) - Sâmbăta de Sus (DJ105B) (17.61 km), and Sâmbăta de Sus (DJ105B) - Făgăraș (DC67) (16.265 km) (Q4)

Total: 65.505 km
 * 2028:
 * A13: Boița (A1) - Făgăraș, sections 1 and 2 between Boița (A1) - Mârșa (DJ105G) (14.253 km), Mârșa (DJ105G) - Arpașu de Jos (DN1) (19.922 km) (Q1)
 * A1: Pitești - Sibiu, section 2 between Copăceni - Boița (31.33 km) (Q1)

In total, some 808 km of highways and expressways are currently contracted with builder after tenders and appeals, to be built by 2028.

Expressways in Romania
In addition to the expressways listed in the main table above, several other expressways have been planned, but which are unlikely to be completed by 2030.

Trivia
South of Suceava at 47.592262 N 26.260704 E there is the shortest motorway in the world with a length of 1 meter. However, it cannot be used by traffic, but is a memorial erected by businessman Stefan Mandachi to protest for a rapid expansion of the Romanian motorway network in order to reduce the high number of fatal traffic accidents on Romanian roads.