Yet another truck gets stuck in Bucharest’s Unirii underpass

Another van got stuck in the Unirii underpass, downtown Bucharest, on Thursday, January 12, restricting the traffic in the area for a few hours. Traffic police went to the scene to ensure the steady flow of traffic.

The van was traveling from Marasesti Boulevard towards Universitatii Square when its top part became stuck in the ceiling of the tunnel. Traffic was restricted on the first lane while the authorities intervened to remove the vehicle, according to News.ro.

“Yet another driver did not respect the traffic rules and entered the Unirii underpass in a vehicle with a height greater than the maximum permitted,” District 4 City Hall says in a press release. “According to the policemen who arrived at the scene, although the height of 3.39m is listed on the vehicle's license plate, in reality, the measurements showed a height of 3.72m. All the incidents that have taken place so far inside the tunnel are due to ignoring and not complying with the traffic rules, a fact proven by the reports drawn up by the Traffic Police,” the same statement reads.

A photo of the van that got stuck in the underpass was shared on social media here.

This incident took place less than three weeks after a tourist bus with Greek passengers hit the railing at the passage's entrance, resulting in one death. Over 20 people were taken to the hospital. Later, some of the passengers announced that they would sue.

The Unirii underpass was re-opened in early September 2022, after a renovation worth EUR 12 mln. "The Unirii underpass, with a length of approximately 900 meters, has become the safest road tunnel in terms of infrastructure in Romania, and also the most technologically advanced in the country," District 4 City Hall officials said at the time of the re-opening.

A few days after the opening, a Turkish driver was fined by the police for attempting to enter the underpass with a TIR truck. He had disregarded the height limit and broke the metal gate installed ahead of the entrance to the passage.