Romanian Motorways Review 2019

29 December 2019. (c) 130km.ro.

Two new motorway sections were opened to traffic in Romania in 2019 (43.3km in length), namely sections 3 and 4 of Lugoj-Deva motorway, part of A1. We start with an updated map of Romanian motorways and motorway projects at the end of 2019 (click to enlarge):


Next, find below a review of status and relevant news for each Romanian motorway project:

A0 MOTORWAY (Bucharest South Ringroad)

Good news for this project: contractors selected and contracts signed in 2019 for all three sections (total length: 50.8km). Estimated opening date: 2022 - 2023.

A1 MOTORWAY (Bucharest - Nadlac)

Bucharest - Pitesti: Entire length open to traffic.

Pitesti - Sibiu: 2019 saw an important first step - signing of the contract for section 1, Sibiu - Boita, and start of works. Tenders in progress for sections 4 (Tigveni - Curtea de Arges) and 5 (Curtea de Arges - Pitesti), but procedure for section 4 was suspended temporarily. Hopefully we'll see news on the four sections without an allocated contractor in 2020. Estimated opening date for the Pitesti - Sibiu motorway is 2023 and beyond.

Sibiu ringroad, Sibiu - Orastie and Orastie - Deva sections are all open to trafic.

The next part, Deva - Lugoj, is open on almost its entire length after the opening of section 3 (ilia - Cosevita) in December 2019, with speed and weight restrictions, and section 4 (Somus - Ilia) in August 2019; section 1 (Traian Vuia - Sanovita), as well as 15.08km out of 28.60km of section 2 are also open (the remainder of Section 2 will need a new tender procedure and several years for completion).

The other sections of A1, namely Lugoj - Timisoara, Timisoara - Arad and Arad - Nadlac, are all open to traffic. Thus, the only segment not available as a motorway between Sibiu and Nadlac consists of 13.5km between Cosevita and Margina (part of Lugoj - Deva section 2).

A3 MOTORWAY (Bucharest - Bors)

Bucharest - Ploiesti: full length open to traffic.

Ploiesti - Brasov: The only allocated contract is for section Rasnov - Cristian (6.30km, opening date: 2020), where works are progressing nicely. The future of section Ploiesti - Brasov remains uncertain following a Public-Private Partnership tender procedure carried out in 2019 but abandoned after the change of Government.

Brasov - Targu Mures: This section was dropped from official plans with access to Transylvania replaced by A10 Sebes - Turda.

Targu Mures - Gilau: 52km on this section are open to traffic between Campia Turzii and Gilau. Two sections on Campia Turzii - Targu Mures are also open (Ogra - Campia Turzii Section 1, 3.60km and Targu Mures - Ogra Section 2, 10.11km), with the remaining under construction and scheduled for opening in 2020.

Gilau - Bors: Section Gilau - Nadaselu is open (9.47km), while a tender procedure is in progress for the following section, Nadaselu - Mihaiesti. Other tender procedures in progress for three out of five sections on Mihaiesti - Suplacu de Barcau. Finally, contractors selected for two sections on Suplacu de Barcau - Bors, namely Chiribis - Biharia (28.55km) and Biharia - Bors (5.35km); tender procedure for section Suplacu de Barcau - Chiribis (26.35km) was canceled in November 2019

A7 MOTORWAY (Bacau Ringroad)

Works progressing nicely for the Bacau Ringroad, part of which is included in the route of A7 Ploiesti - Pascani motorway. Estimated opening date: 2021.

A10 MOTORWAY (Sebes - Turda)

Segments 3 (Aiud - Decea, 12.45km) and 4 (Decea - Turda, 16.30km) open to traffic. Announced for opening in 2019, segments 1 and 2 are behind schedule and will be opened no earlier than 2020.

DX12 EXPRESWAY (CRAIOVA - PITESTI)

Contracts were signed and works started for the first two sections of DX12 expressway Craiova - Pitesti, the first expressway under construction in Romania: Section I.Craiova - Pitesti (17.70km), Section II.Robanesti - Slatina lot 1 (Robanesti - Branet, 18.50km) and Section II.Robanesti - Slatina lot 2 (Branet - Slatina, 21.35km). Tender procedures for sections 3.Slatina - Colonesti (31.75km) and 4.Colonesti - A1 (31.81km) were launched as well but are currently suspended.

OTHER MOTORWAYS OPEN TO TRAFFIC

Motorways A2: Bucharest - Constanta and A4: Constanta Ringroad are open to traffic. Also, 11km between Balint and Lugoj ringroad are open on the proposed A6 Lugoj - Calafat motorway and 3.5km between Arad and DN7 are open on the proposed A11 Arad - Oradea motorway.

OTHER PROJECTS

Targu Mures - Iasi - Ungheni: Tender in progress for update of feasibility study for section Targu Mures - Targu Neamt. Tender launched for section Targu Neamt - Iasi as a Public - Private Partnership; the future of this process is uncertain and the feasibility study could be updated for the entire length between Targu Mures and Ungheni sometime in the future.

Tenders launched in 2019 for three sections of Bucharest North Ringroad. Update of feasibility study in progress for Sibiu - Fagaras motorway, and tender procedures launched for feasibility study updates for Brasov - Bacau and Timisoara - Moravita motorways.

CONCLUSIONS

There were high expectations for new motorway openings in 2019 with few actual results. Total length opened in 2019 amounted to only 43.3km, while expectations were 2-3 times higher than this figure.

Total length of opened motorway sections in Romania amounts to 850km according to our data, with an additional 172km under construction as of today.

For 2020 we will be expecting the opening of segments 1 and 2 of A10 Sebes - Turda motorway, of segments under construction on section Mures - Campia Turzii and of sections Rasnov - Cristian and Biharia - Bors (all of them part of A3 motorway). All of these could add about 91km to Romania's motorway network for a total of over 940km.

We will also be waiting for news on tender procedures for the four sections on Sibiu - Pitesti motorway, progress updates on the three sections of the Bucharest South Ringroad and, possibly, clearer plans for Ploiesti - Brasov and Targu Mures - Iasi - Ungheni motorways.

As always, we will keep you updated.

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