The A7 motorway ( ro, Autostrada A7), also known as the Ploiești–Siret Motorway ( ro, Autostrada Ploiești–Siret) or the Moldavia Motorway ( ro, Autostrada Moldovei),
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 i ...
in
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
, that upon completion will link
Ploiești
Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a 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 Blejoi commu ...
to the north-eastern part of the country, partly along the
Pan-European Corridor IX
The Corridor IX is one of the Pan-European corridors. It runs between Helsinki in Finland and Alexandroupolis in Greece. The corridor follows the route: Helsinki - Vyborg - Saint Petersburg - Moscow - Kyiv - Chișinău - Bucharest - Ruse - Sta ...
. It will run along the route:
Buzău
The city of Buzău (formerly spelled ''Buzeu'' or ''Buzĕu''; ) is the county seat of Buzău County, Romania, in the historical region of Muntenia. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Car ...
,
Focșani
Focșani (; yi, פֿאָקשאַן, Fokshan) 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 79,315.
Geography
Focșani lies at the foot of the Curv ...
,
Bacău
Bacău ( , , ; hu, Bákó; la, Bacovia) is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. At the 2016 national estimation it had a population of 196,883, making it the 12th largest city in Romania. The city is situated in the historical region of ...
,
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 ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
,
Pașcani
Pașcani () is a city in Iași County in the Western Moldavia region of Romania, on the Siret river. , it has a population of 33,745. Five villages are administered by the city: Blăgești, Boșteni, Gâstești, Lunca, and Sodomeni.
The city der ...
, and
Suceava
Suceava () is the largest urban settlement and the seat town ( ro, oraș reședință de județ) of Suceava County, situated in the historical region of Bukovina, northeastern Romania, and at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central and Eastern E ...
, connecting to
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
's
M19 highway near
Siret
Siret (; german: Sereth; hu, Szeretvásár; uk, Серет, Seret; yi, סערעט, Seret) is a town, municipality and former Latin bishopric in Suceava County, northeastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Bukovina. Siret is ...
.
As of December 2020, the only segment in service is a long section, built as part of the Bacău bypass ( ro, Centura Bacău). All other sections of the motorway are in various stages of planning, tendering and construction, with the first segments expected to be finished by 2024 the earliest.
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, also called the European Union Recovery Instrument) is a European Union (EU) economic recovery package to support the EU member states to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular those that have been particul ...
package).
History
Initially it was designed as a long motorway branching off the
A3 motorway This is a list of roads designated A3. Roads entries are sorted in the countries alphabetical order.
* A003 road (Argentina), a road connecting the junction with National Route 9 and Camino de Cintura to Tigre
* ''A3 road (Australia)'' may refer ...
and passing through
Buzău
The city of Buzău (formerly spelled ''Buzeu'' or ''Buzĕu''; ) is the county seat of Buzău County, Romania, in the historical region of Muntenia. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Car ...
,
Focșani
Focșani (; yi, פֿאָקשאַן, Fokshan) 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 79,315.
Geography
Focșani lies at the foot of the Curv ...
, and
Albița, to the border with the
Republic of Moldova
A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
. However, since 2014 plans in favor of a motorway past Focșani were scrapped in favor of a motorway towards
Bacău
Bacău ( , , ; hu, Bákó; la, Bacovia) is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. At the 2016 national estimation it had a population of 196,883, making it the 12th largest city in Romania. The city is situated in the historical region of ...
,
Suceava
Suceava () is the largest urban settlement and the seat town ( ro, oraș reședință de județ) of Suceava County, situated in the historical region of Bukovina, northeastern Romania, and at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central and Eastern E ...
, and
Siret
Siret (; german: Sereth; hu, Szeretvásár; uk, Серет, Seret; yi, סערעט, Seret) is a town, municipality and former Latin bishopric in Suceava County, northeastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Bukovina. Siret is ...
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 ( , , ; hu, Bákó; la, Bacovia) is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. At the 2016 national estimation it had a population of 196,883, making it the 12th largest city in Romania. The city is situated in the historical region of ...
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 ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
(lot 1, 30.3 km), Roman -
Săbăoani
Săbăoani ( hu, Szabófalva) 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 ...
(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 (; yi, פֿאָקשאַן, Fokshan) 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 79,315.
Geography
Focșani lies at the foot of the Curv ...
-
Domnești-Târg (lot 1, 35.6 km), Domnești-Târg -
Răcăciuni
Răcăciuni ( hu, Rekecsin) is a commune in Bacău County, Western Moldavia, Romania. It is composed of six villages: Ciucani, Fundu Răcăciuni, Gheorghe Doja, Gâșteni, Răcăciuni and Răstoaca.
The commune is located in the south-central par ...
(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 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 (; german: Radautz; hu, Radóc; pl, Radowce; uk, Радівці, ''Radivtsi''; yi, ראַדעװיץ ''Radevits''; tr, Radoviçe) is a town in Suceava County, north-eastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Bukovi ...
(
Milișăuți) 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.
Openings timeline
*2 December 2020: the
Bacău
Bacău ( , , ; hu, Bákó; la, Bacovia) is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. At the 2016 national estimation it had a population of 196,883, making it the 12th largest city in Romania. The city is situated in the historical region of ...
bypass (16.2 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 expres) – colou ...
*
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 made ...
References
External links
CNADNR – Coridorul IX Ploiești - Albița
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ploiesti-Siret Motorway
Motorways in Romania