
The A2 motorway (), also known as The Motorway of the Sun (), is a
motorway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...
in
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
which links
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
with
Constanța
Constanța (, , ) is a city in the Dobruja Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Romania. A port city, it is the capital of Constanța County and the country's Cities in Romania, fourth largest city and principal port on the Black ...
, a city-port on the shore of the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
, where it merges after an interchange into the
A4 motorway. It is 206 km long,
and has been operational on its entire length since November 2012.
History
The construction of the motorway between Bucharest and Constanța began in the
communist era
A communist era is a sustained period of national government by a single party following the philosophy of Marxism–Leninism. Many countries have experienced such a period of communist rule.
Current communist states China
The Chinese Communist ...
during
Nicolae Ceaușescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu ( ; ; – 25 December 1989) was a Romanian politician who was the second and last Communism, communist leader of Socialist Romania, Romania, serving as the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 u ...
's regime. The first section, from
Fetești to
Cernavodă
Cernavodă () is a town in Constanța County, Northern Dobruja, Romania with a population of 15,088 as of 2021.
The town's name is derived from the Bulgarian ''černa voda'' ( in Cyrillic), meaning 'black water'. This name is regarded by some s ...
(about 18 km), was opened on 21 November 1987, simultaneous to the new railway bridge and underwent a major rehabilitation in 2003. It crosses the
Balta Ialomiței Balta Ialomiței is an island on the Danube, located in Ialomița County and Călărași County, Romania. It is surrounded by two branches of the Danube, named "Borcea" and "Dunărea Veche". The island has an area of , with a length of and a width ...
island and includes the
Cernavodă Bridge complex system of motorway and railway bridges and viaducts over the
Danube
The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
and one of its branches at Cernavodă. The motorway bridge passes under the
historical railway bridge built by
Anghel Saligny
Anghel Saligny (; 19 April 1854, Liești, Șerbănești, Moldavia – 17 June 1925, Bucharest, Kingdom of Romania, Romania) was a Romanian engineer, most famous for designing the Anghel Saligny Bridge, Fetești-Cernavodă railway bridge (1895) ...
in 1895, while the new railway in use today separates the motorway roadways.
After the fall of the communism in 1989, construction continued for a short period, but it was finally stopped in 1993 due to lack of financial resources. When it was completed, it differed from the original plans from the 70s. The original plan of the A2 motorway envisaged a route running northwards through
Urziceni
Urziceni () is a municipiu, city in Ialomița County, Muntenia, Romania, located around north-east of Bucharest.
Geography
The city is situated at the western edge of the Bărăgan Plain, on the banks of the Ialomița (river), Ialomița River ...
and
Slobozia, while the current route of the motorway runs eastwards in a straight line towards
Fetești. Construction continued after 1998, the motorway being completed in late 2012.
The sector from Bucharest to Fetești crosses the
Bărăgan Plain
The Bărăgan Plain ( ) is a steppe plain in south-eastern Romania. It makes up much of the eastern part of the Wallachian Plain. The region is known for its black soil and a rich humus, and is mostly a cereal-growing area.
It is bounded on the s ...
and was built between 2001 and 2007. It was split into four sections. The first section from Bucharest to
Fundulea (26.5 km) was built by the Romanian company Romis and is surfaced with
concrete slabs. The second section from Fundulea to Lehliu (29.2 km) was built by a Turkish joint venture between Yuksel, Makimsar and Ener, while the third section from Lehliu to
Drajna (41.6 km) was built by the French company
Colas. The three sections were completed in 2004. The fourth, from Drajna to Fetești (36.8 km), was built by a joint venture between
Astaldi
Astaldi S.p.A. is an Italian multinational major construction company based in Rome. The group is active in the fields of civil engineering, hydraulic engineering, electromechanical engineering and transportation.
Significant subsidiaries incl ...
,
Max Bögl
Max Bögl is a German multinational major construction company based in Sengenthal, Germany.
__NOTOC__
History
On August 8, 2008, a bridge renovated by the Czech subsidiary BÖGL a KRÝSL k.s. collapsed in Studénka. It fell onto the Eurocity ...
and
CCCF, and was completed in 2007, receiving financial support from the
ISPA funds.
The sector from Cernavodă to Constanța (51.3 km) runs across the
Dobruja Plateau and was built between 2009 and 2012, receiving financial resources from the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
's
Cohesion Fund and from the
European Investment Bank
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the European Union's investment bank and is owned by the 27 member states. It is the largest multilateral financial institution in the world. The EIB finances and invests both through equity and debt sol ...
. It was built by a joint venture between
Astaldi
Astaldi S.p.A. is an Italian multinational major construction company based in Rome. The group is active in the fields of civil engineering, hydraulic engineering, electromechanical engineering and transportation.
Significant subsidiaries incl ...
and
Max Bögl
Max Bögl is a German multinational major construction company based in Sengenthal, Germany.
__NOTOC__
History
On August 8, 2008, a bridge renovated by the Czech subsidiary BÖGL a KRÝSL k.s. collapsed in Studénka. It fell onto the Eurocity ...
, and was completed in late 2012. The section from Cernavodă to Medgidia was initially awarded to the French company
Colas, but the contract was terminated in April 2011, because of delays in the construction process. It was subsequently awarded to the new constructor in September 2011.
The total distance between
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
and
Constanța
Constanța (, , ) is a city in the Dobruja Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Romania. A port city, it is the capital of Constanța County and the country's Cities in Romania, fourth largest city and principal port on the Black ...
on the motorway is approximately 206 km.
It includes a 3.8 km link segment at the eastern end, that was part of the construction contract for the
A4 motorway, which serves as the
Constanța
Constanța (, , ) is a city in the Dobruja Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Romania. A port city, it is the capital of Constanța County and the country's Cities in Romania, fourth largest city and principal port on the Black ...
bypass. It has seven exits and ten rest areas on each carriageway, six being served by
filling stations
A filling station (also known as a gas station [] or petrol station []) is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold are gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel.
Fuel dispensers are used to ...
. There is one toll gate along the route, at
Fetești (km 144), where a tax is charged for crossing the Danube bridges.
During summer, heavy traffic (maximum permissible weight over 7.5 t) is forbidden to drive on the motorway on weekends (including Friday) at daylight hours (from 6 A.M. to 12 A.M.).
Openings timeline
*In 21 November 1987, the 17.2 km segment
Fetești –
Cernavodă
Cernavodă () is a town in Constanța County, Northern Dobruja, Romania with a population of 15,088 as of 2021.
The town's name is derived from the Bulgarian ''černa voda'' ( in Cyrillic), meaning 'black water'. This name is regarded by some s ...
was opened for traffic. The segment was closed for traffic again in September 2006 for complete rebuilding and reopened in 2007.
*On 4 June 2004, two segments opened for traffic:
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
–
Fundulea (26.5 km) and
Fundulea –
Lehliu (29.2 km).
*In November 2004, the 42 km segment
Lehliu –
Drajna was opened for traffic.
*In June 2006, the 17.2 km segment
Fetești –
Cernavodă
Cernavodă () is a town in Constanța County, Northern Dobruja, Romania with a population of 15,088 as of 2021.
The town's name is derived from the Bulgarian ''černa voda'' ( in Cyrillic), meaning 'black water'. This name is regarded by some s ...
was re-opened for traffic, after major rehabilitation works.
*Between 1 July and 15 September 2006, the 36.8 km segment
Drajna –
Fetești temporarily opened for traffic in both ways but only on one carriageway.
*On 1 May 2007, the 36.8 km segment
Drajna –
Fetești was re-opened for traffic.
*On 29 July 2011, the
Murfatlar –
Constanța
Constanța (, , ) is a city in the Dobruja Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Romania. A port city, it is the capital of Constanța County and the country's Cities in Romania, fourth largest city and principal port on the Black ...
segment (21 km, including a part of A4) was inaugurated (initially, on two of the total four lanes).
*On 30 September 2011, the
Murfatlar –
Constanța
Constanța (, , ) is a city in the Dobruja Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Romania. A port city, it is the capital of Constanța County and the country's Cities in Romania, fourth largest city and principal port on the Black ...
segment was completed and opened on both carriageways.
*On 19 July 2012, the
Cernavodă
Cernavodă () is a town in Constanța County, Northern Dobruja, Romania with a population of 15,088 as of 2021.
The town's name is derived from the Bulgarian ''černa voda'' ( in Cyrillic), meaning 'black water'. This name is regarded by some s ...
–
Medgidia segment (20.5 km) was opened for traffic on a single carriageway, and the
Medgidia –
Murfatlar segment (16.3 km) was opened on both carriageways.
*On 29 November 2012, the Cernavodă – Medgidia segment (20.5 km) was opened for traffic on both carriageways.
Exit list
See also
*
Roads in Romania
Public roads in Romania are ranked according to importance and traffic as follows:
*motorways (autostradă – pl. autostrăzi) – colour: green; designation: A followed by one or two digits
*expressways (drum – pl. drumuri express) – col ...
*
Transport in Romania
*
Cernavodă Bridge
References
External links
București – Cernavodă (YouTube video)Cernavodă – Constanța (YouTube video)Motorways in Romania 2014–2020 (PPT file)CNADNR – Autostrada București – Constanța
{{Transport in Bucharest
Motorways in Romania
Călărași County