Snow clearing begins on Romania’s famous Transfăgărășan mountain road

Road crews have started snow removal operations on Romania’s iconic Transfăgărășan mountain road, authorities announced Monday, May 11. The high-altitude section between Bâlea Cascadă and Bâlea Lake is closed to traffic during the winter season.

The Regional Directorate of Roads and Bridges Brașov (DRDP Brașov) said snow clearing operations have begun on the DN7C national road, commonly known as the Transfăgărășan.

“This year, we are dealing with a heavier snow layer than in previous years, and the low temperatures in recent days are not helping the snow clearing process, but we are working as quickly as possible,” DRDP Brașov said in a post on social media.

“For now, we are operating with two high-capacity machines, but we will increase the number of vehicles as new work sections are opened.”

The road section between Bâlea Cascadă and Piscul Negru is closed to road traffic during winter due to heavy snow and dangerous weather conditions. It usually reopens at the start of summer, sometimes in June.

A project of late communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu, the spectacular road that crosses the Carpathian Mountains has been a setting for drive tests, photo shoots, movies, and commercials for sports cars and motorcycles. Its popularity kind of spiked in 2009 when the famous British auto show Top Gear shot one of its episodes on Transfăgărăşan, naming it “the best road in the world.” Some also call it “The Road to the Sky.”

(Photo source: screenshot from DRDP Brașov video on Facebook)