The big viaducts on the Autostrada Transilvaniei are taking shape. 3.2 kilometers of new route, solution to landslides
More than 40 kilometers of highway between Cluj-Napoca and Zalău could be opened to traffic in 2026, with the completion of the works at the Topa Mică and Nădășelu viaducts and at the Românași road junction. One of these will be two kilometers long.
The Topa Mică viaduct in the construction site. Photo: Daniel Guță. TRUTH
One of the longest highway viaducts in Romania is taking shape at Topa Mică, a town in Cluj County located halfway between the 90 kilometers between Cluj-Napoca and Zalău.
Two kilometer viaduct
The Topa Mică viaduct, with a length of about two kilometers, and the Nădășelu viaduct (about 1.2 kilometers) are built separately, on the Nădășelu – Porta Sălajulu segments of the Transilvania Motorway (A3 Cluj – Oradea).
The two viaducts are being built on a diverted route, established after landslides occurred during the highway works that began in 2021.
“Important phenomena of instability occurred through landslides, with the displacement of the massif of land and accelerated developments, the phenomena of instability having an evolutionary character. Because of this situation, a new technical project was developed”, then inform the Ministry of Transport.
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Viaduct from Topa Mică Photo Daniel Guță THE TRUTH (13) jpg
In March 2024, an association of companies from Turkey, led by the company Ozaltin, won the 995 million lei contract, excluding VAT, for the construction of the 3.2 kilometers of viaducts from Topa Mică and Nădășelu.
“The contractor will design and execute route diversion works in the areas with landslides on the Nădășelu – Mihăiesti highway section, consisting of the construction of a 1.2 km viaduct founded on large diameter drilled piles, a viaduct with a length of approximately two kilometers that will cross downstream the DN1F route and the course of the Topa Mică stream”informed then Cristian Pistol, the general director of the National Road Infrastructure Administration Company.
Completion of the works, expected in 2026
On the new route, the construction of the viaducts is imposed by the clayey and soft soil, which does not allow the creation of a classic embankment and requires more complex engineering solutions, with deeply drilled piles and massive concrete structures. Work on the viaducts began in the spring of this year, and so far the foundations and a large part of the piles have been executed, with the deck and roadway to be installed.
The works on the two viaducts are financed by European funds attracted through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) and have a completion date of 2026.
Also in 2026, the Românași road junction, which recently entered the construction site, will also have to be completed. The contract for the construction of the road junction, with a value of 71.3 million lei, financed by PNRR, has an execution term of seven months.
The Românași interchange, built by UMB, will ensure the connection with Transilvania Highway (Zimbor – Poarta Sălajulu subsection), DN1F and DJ108A, until the Poarta Sălajului – Zalău section is completed, estimated for 2031.
Over 40 kilometers, with numerous viaducts
The segments Nădășelu – Mihăiesti, 17 kilometers long, Mihăiesti – Zimbor, 13 kilometers long and Zimbor – Poarta Sălajului, 12 kilometers long, have been on site since 2021 and are being built by UMB.
These are almost completed, but without the two viaducts and the Românasi road junction they will not be able to be put into use. The three highway sections will have 16 bridges and overpasses and 18 viaducts.
Also in 2026, the Suplacu de Barcău – Chiribiș section, 26 kilometers long, in Bihor county, could also be opened. And this segment of Autostrada Transilvania includes one of the longest highway viaducts in Europe, at Suplacu de Barcău, with a length of 1.8 kilometers.
Currently, almost 130 of the 160 kilometers of the Transilvania Motorway (A3) Cluj-Napoca – Oradea – Borș Customs remain unfinished, and on some sectors of the route, the works could be completed in 2031 at the earliest.
