A7 Motorway (Romania)
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The A7 motorway (), also known as the Ploiești–Siret Motorway () or the Moldavia Motorway (), is a partially built
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 ...
, that upon completion will link
Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a Municipiu, city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Ble ...
to the north-eastern part of the country, partly along the Pan-European Corridor IX. It will run along the route:
Buzău Buzău (; formerly spelled ''Buzeu'' or ''Buzĕu'') is a city in the historical region of Muntenia, Romania, and the county seat of Buzău County. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Carp ...
,
Focșani Focșani (; ) is the capital city of Vrancea County in Romania on the banks the river Milcov, in the historical region of Moldavia. , it has a population of 66,719. Geography Focșani lies at the foot of the Curvature Carpathians, at a point of ...
,
Bacău Bacău ( ; , ; ; ) is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. With a population of 136,087 (as of 2021 census), Bacău is the 14th largest city in Romania. The city is situated in the historical region of Moldavia, at the foothills of the ...
,
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
,
Pașcani Pașcani () is a city in Iași County in the Western Moldavia region of Romania, on the Siret river. , it has a population of 30,766. Five villages are administered by the city: Blăgești, Boșteni, Gâstești, Lunca, and Sodomeni. The city der ...
, and
Suceava Suceava () is a Municipiu, city in northeastern Romania. The seat of Suceava County, it is situated in the Historical regions of Romania, historical regions of Bukovina and Western Moldavia, Moldavia, northeastern Romania. It is the largest urban ...
, connecting to
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
's M19 highway near
Siret Siret (; ; ; ; ) is a town, municipality and former Latin bishopric in Suceava County, northeastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Bukovina. Siret is the 11th largest urban settlement in the county, with a population of 6,708 ...
. As of 25 December 2024, 5 segments of the motorway are done, totaling to 115.1 km of opened motorway. All other sections of the motorway are in various stages of planning, tendering, and construction. The Pașcani – Siret section will be financed through EU funds, while the government wants the Ploiești – Pașcani section (excluding the Bacău bypass) to be financed through the Romanian PNRR (short for ''Planul Național de Redresare și Reziliență'', part of the
Next Generation EU Next Generation EU (NGEU) is a European Commission economic recovery package to support the EU member states to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular those that have been particularly hard hit. It is sometimes styled NextGenerationEU ...
package).


History

Initially it was designed as a long motorway branching off the A3 motorway and passing through
Buzău Buzău (; formerly spelled ''Buzeu'' or ''Buzĕu'') is a city in the historical region of Muntenia, Romania, and the county seat of Buzău County. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Carp ...
,
Focșani Focșani (; ) is the capital city of Vrancea County in Romania on the banks the river Milcov, in the historical region of Moldavia. , it has a population of 66,719. Geography Focșani lies at the foot of the Curvature Carpathians, at a point of ...
, and Albița, to the border with the
Republic of Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised ...
. However, since 2014 plans in favor of a motorway past Focșani were scrapped in favor of a motorway towards
Bacău Bacău ( ; , ; ; ) is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. With a population of 136,087 (as of 2021 census), Bacău is the 14th largest city in Romania. The city is situated in the historical region of Moldavia, at the foothills of the ...
,
Suceava Suceava () is a Municipiu, city in northeastern Romania. The seat of Suceava County, it is situated in the Historical regions of Romania, historical regions of Bukovina and Western Moldavia, Moldavia, northeastern Romania. It is the largest urban ...
, and
Siret Siret (; ; ; ; ) is a town, municipality and former Latin bishopric in Suceava County, northeastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Bukovina. Siret is the 11th largest urban settlement in the county, with a population of 6,708 ...
termed A7. The motorway from Focșani to Albița (155 km) will have a different route number assigned and, as of April 2014, it was no longer a priority in the master plan for the national motorway network.


Sections

The first section, from Ploiești to Focșani (133 km), was proposed for a
concession Concession may refer to: General * Concession (contract) (sometimes called a concession agreement), a contractual right to carry on a certain kind of business or activity in an area, such as to explore or develop its natural resources or to opera ...
contract for tendering first half of 2013. No contract was signed, and the only section that has been tendered was the
Bacău Bacău ( ; , ; ; ) is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. With a population of 136,087 (as of 2021 census), Bacău is the 14th largest city in Romania. The city is situated in the historical region of Moldavia, at the foothills of the ...
bypass (30.6 km, of which 16.2 km of motorway) in August 2013, but built at only half profile. It was awarded for construction in November 2013, but the results of the tender were contested by some of the participants. Later in 2014, the whole motorway was redesigned as an expressway that would later be expanded to full motorway specifications. On 30 May 2016, the construction works at Bacău bypass started, and they were expected to be finished by 2022, but the contract with the Turkish company Eko İnşaat ve Ticaret was terminated in April 2017, due to financial difficulties of the constructor. In December 2017, the Bacău bypass was reauctioned, this time as a full motorway section, and was awarded in December 2018, to the local based Spedition UMB – Tehnostrade joint venture, with the deadline in three years. The Bacău bypass opened on 2 December 2020, with minor works, mainly to the protective elements and to one exit, remaining yet to be completed. All remaining works on the bypass and its branches were completed by August 2021. All other sections are in the feasibility study and technical project phase, with the exception of the motorway segments between Ploiești and Focșani via Buzău. The Ploiești - Buzău section (62 km) was auctioned for construction on 1 June 2021. On 1 February 2022, the Buzău bypass (4.6 km) and the Focșani bypass (10.9 km) were auctioned for construction, followed by the segments Buzău - Râmnicu Sărat (30.8 km) and Râmnicu Sărat - Focșani (36.1 km) on 8 February, same year, both on the Buzău - Focșani section (82.4 km). On 7 June 2022, the segment between
Mizil Mizil () is a town in Prahova County, Muntenia, Romania. Located in the southeastern part of the county, it lies along the road between the cities of Ploiești and Buzău, and to the northeast of the national capital, Bucharest. Its position led i ...
and
Pietroasele Pietroasele is a commune in Buzău County, Muntenia, Romania, known for its vineyards. The name means "the rockies". The commune is composed of six villages: Câlțești, Clondiru de Sus, Dara, Pietroasa Mică, Pietroasele and Șarânga. It became ...
(Ploiești - Buzău lot 2, 28.3 km) was awarded to the joint-venture Coni-Trace. 9 days later, on 16 June 2022, the segment between Ploiești and Mizil (Ploiești - Buzău lot 1, 21.0 km) was awarded to the joint-venture
Impresa Pizzarotti Impresa Pizzarotti & C. S.p.A. is a construction and civil engineering company with its headquarters in the Italian city of Parma. History Impresa Pizzarotti & C. S.p.A. was founded in 1910 by Gino Pizzarotti and converted in 1945 into a limi ...
-Retter. On 25 July 2022, the tender for the Bacău - Pașcani section (77.3 km) was launched, being divided into three lots: Bacău -
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
(lot 1, 30.3 km), Roman -
Săbăoani Săbăoani () is a commune in Neamț County, Western Moldavia, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Săbăoani and Traian. In 2002, the commune had a population of 10,301, of whom all but four were declared ethnic Romanians. 98.6% of residen ...
(lot 2, 18.9 km), and Săbăoani - Pașcani (lot 3, 28.09 km). In August 2022, the tender for Focșani - Bacău launched as well, also divided into three lots:
Focșani Focșani (; ) is the capital city of Vrancea County in Romania on the banks the river Milcov, in the historical region of Moldavia. , it has a population of 66,719. Geography Focșani lies at the foot of the Curvature Carpathians, at a point of ...
- Domnești-Târg (lot 1, 35.6 km), Domnești-Târg -
Răcăciuni Răcăciuni () is a Commune in Romania, commune in Bacău County, Western Moldavia, Romania. It is composed of six villages: Ciucani, Fundu Răcăciuni, Gheorghe Doja, Gâșteni, Răcăciuni, and Răstoaca. Geography The commune is located in the ...
(lot 2, 38.78 km), and Răcăciuni - Bacău (lot 3, 21.52 km). On 6 September 2022, the Buzău bypass and the Focșani bypass were awarded to the joint-venture SA&PE- Spedition UMB-Tehnostrade. The route of the Focșani bypass, which opened on 7 November 2024, is notorious for its so-called "hump", backed by the local authorities of the city of Focșani on the grounds of an unapproved "general urban plan". The CNAIR tried unsuccessfully to convince the local authorities to support the variant of a straight route. Plans call that at
Rădăuți Rădăuți (; ; ; ; , ''Radivtsi''; ''Radevits''; ) is a town in Suceava County, north-eastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Bukovina. According to the 2021 census, Rădăuți is the second largest urban settlement in the ...
(
Milișăuți Milișăuți () is a town in Suceava County, northeastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Bukovina. Milișăuți is the fifteenth largest urban settlement in the county, with a population of 4,657 inhabitants, according to th ...
) the road towards Siret becomes an expressway, however this section is yet to have a route number assigned. As of August 2022, lots 1 and 2 of the Ploiești - Buzău section are undergoing construction. In the early hours of 21 September 2023, a gas explosion occurred near Călimănești in the Vrancea county, killing 4 and injuring 5 more. The explosion was caused where the motorway's construction site crossed a gas pipeline, which was initially believed to be at a depth of 1,8 meters, but had turned out to be much more shallow.
Transgaz Transgaz is a state-owned company, which is the technical operator of the national natural gas transmission system in Romania. The company handled in 2017 a quantity of 12.87 billion m³ of natural gas. The company has a total transport capacity ...
, the national gas distribution provider, blamed the construction company for performing unauthorized work in the area.


Openings timeline

*2 December 2020: the
Bacău Bacău ( ; , ; ; ) is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. With a population of 136,087 (as of 2021 census), Bacău is the 14th largest city in Romania. The city is situated in the historical region of Moldavia, at the foothills of the ...
bypass (16.269 km). *7 November 2024: Mândrești–Munteni –
Focșani Focșani (; ) is the capital city of Vrancea County in Romania on the banks the river Milcov, in the historical region of Moldavia. , it has a population of 66,719. Geography Focșani lies at the foot of the Curvature Carpathians, at a point of ...
(
Buzău Buzău (; formerly spelled ''Buzeu'' or ''Buzĕu'') is a city in the historical region of Muntenia, Romania, and the county seat of Buzău County. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Carp ...
-Focșani lot 4; 10.94 km). *21 November 2024:
Buzău Buzău (; formerly spelled ''Buzeu'' or ''Buzĕu'') is a city in the historical region of Muntenia, Romania, and the county seat of Buzău County. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Carp ...
Râmnicu Sărat Râmnicu Sărat (also spelled ''Rîmnicu Sărat'', , or ''Rebnick''; ) is a municipiu, city in Buzău County, Romania, in the historical region of Muntenia. It was first attested in a document of 1439, and raised to the rank of ''municipiu'' in ...
(30.8 km). *20 December 2024: Mândrești–Munteni – Râmnicu Sărat (36.1 km). *23 December 2024: Dumbrava–Mizil (21 km).


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 Transportation infrastructure in Romania is the property of the state, and is administered by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Constructions and Tourism, except when operated as a concession, in which case the concessions are mad ...


References


External links


CNADNR – Coridorul IX Ploiești - Albița
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ploiesti-Siret Motorway Motorways in Romania