Authorities work on reopening Romania’s beautiful high altitude roads

The Romanian authorities are currently working on reopening the amazing mountain roads Transfagarasan and Transalpina for the summer traffic. However, while the Transalpina may already be opened next week, drivers will have to wait until early July to take the Transfagarasan. The layer of snow exceeds 5 m in some of the latter's areas, which makes the road authorities’ work more difficult. At an altitude of 2,145 meters, the national road DN 67C, also known as Transalpina, is the highest altitude road in Romania, offering amazing views. The tourists may have the chance to drive on this beautiful road starting next week, as the highways company CNAIR announced that the conditions for reopening the road have been met. The employees of the Craiova Regional Directorate of Roads and Bridges have already cleaned the snow, completed the road markings, and installed the signs and safety elements damaged during the winter. “If the current meteorological conditions are maintained and the work done there meets the regulation, the commission will be able to decide on the opening of the Transalpina road on Monday, May 29” reads the statement from CNAIR. Meanwhile, the other amazing road in Romania – Transfagarasan, will most likely be opened on July 1, as scheduled, as the layer of snow still exceeds 5 m in some areas (picture below). The authorities are currently working on removing the snow.

The Transfagarasan road was built on the orders of Communist era dictator Nicolae Ceausescu between 1970 and 1974 to ensure a military strategic route through the mountains. It has a length of 90 km and reaches an altitude of 2,040 m. It includes Romania’s longest road tunnel (887 meters). The Transfagarasan became famous worldwide after the famous British auto show Top Gear filmed an episode on it in 2009. Since then, the road has been used as a setup for international TV shows and TV commercials. Romania’s Danube Delta, Transfagarasan are “must see” Eastern Europe destinations Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com