Nearly 800 km of highway and express roads under construction in Romania, minister says

Romanian transport minister Sorin Grindeanu stated on Thursday, September 12, that there are nearly 800 kilometers of highways and express roads under construction in Romania.

The minister also went into detail about the Focșani-Brăila express road, which will connect the A7 highway to the Brăila bridge and costs EUR 14 million per kilometer.

"Focșani-Brăila has been assigned to CNAIR (National Company for Road Infrastructure Administration) and is in the bidding phase; this time the bidding process will be handled by CNIR (National Company for Investment in Road Infrastructure), not CNAIR,” Grindeanu explained, cited by News.ro.

“A new company has been established to manage road investments, as a milestone in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), focusing on road infrastructure. This is the most advanced project that I believe CNIR is managing, and they are doing a good job," he added.

Grindeanu emphasized that the large number of road segments under construction translates to a lot of materials and manpower.

"However, through the support schemes developed by the government, and the measures we have taken, including adjusting certain standards, those STAS norms, I believe we are managing well. The proof is what is happening on the ground," added Sorin Grindeanu.

Romania ended 2023 with a total of 997 km of highways, representing only 5.6% of the total national roads, the official statistics institute INS said in its latest report. The figure increased slightly from 949 km at the end of 2022.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos | Sabin Cirstoveanu)