How many kilometers of highway opened in 2025 and which sections will be ready in 2026, a year that may set a new record
Highways in Romania – 2025 – 2026 / Source: HotNews
Romania surpassed the milestone of 1,400 kilometers of highway and expressway, marking the second most prolific year in its history in terms of high-speed road openings.
The highways and express roads currently in operation in Romania have passed the 1400 milestone, reaching 1416.3 kilometers, of which almost 146.5 km were put into use in 2025.
Last year, in 2024, no less than 195 km of highway and expressway were opened to traffic – a record year, but this milestone could be exceeded in 2026.
Which highways and expressways were inaugurated in 2025
- A0 South, Lot 3 – 18 km
- A1 Sibiu – Pitesti, section 5 (Merișani – Curtea de Argeș section) – 14 km
- A7 Buzău – Focșani, Lot 1 – 4.6 km
- A7 Ploiești – Buzău, Lot 2: Mizil – Spătaru – 28 km
- A7 Ploiești – Buzău, Lot 3: Spătaru – Buzău – 13.9 km
- A7 Focșani – Bacău, Lot 1: Focșani – Domnești Târg – 35 km
- A7 Focșani – Bacău, Lot 2 (partial): Domnești Târg – Adjud – 15 km
- Expressway DEx 4 A3 – Tureni – 5 km
- Express Road DEx 12 Craiova – Pitesti, Section 4 (opening from Albota to A1) – 13 km
Total: 146.5 km
Which highways and expressways are likely to be ready in 2026
- A0 North – Lot 3 (DN2 – DN3) – 8.6 km
- A0 North – Lot 4 (DN3 – A2) – 4.5 km
- A1 Sibiu – Pitesti, Section 4 (Curtea de Argeș – Tigveni) – 9.9 km
- A3 Nădășelu – Zimbor – Porta Sălajului – 42.3 km
- A3 Suplacu de Barcău – Chiribiș – 27 km
- A7 Focșani – Bacău, Lot 2 complete (Adjud – Răcăciuni) – 23.7 km
- A7 Focșani – Bacău, Lot 3 – Răcăciuni – Bacău: 21.5 km
- A7 Bacău – Pașcani, Lot 1 (Bacău – Trifești) – 30.3 km
- A7 Bacău – Pașcani, Lot 2 (Triifești – Săbăoani) – 19 km
- A7 Bacău – Pașcani, Lot 3 (Săbăoani – Pașcani) – 28 km
- A0 Nord – Lot 1, partly between DN7 and Corbeanca (DN1) – 8 km
- Galati – Brăila Express Road – 11 km
Total: 233.8 km
750 km of highway under construction
For the year 2027, the Construim Romania Association estimates that somewhere between 100 and 150 km of highway could be put into traffic, “including the missing section of the A1 highway between Deva and Lugoj, sectors of the A13 Sibiu-Brașov and the first lots of the A8 highway.”
“Currently, approximately 750 km of motorways are under contract for execution. Of these, approximately 400 km are scheduled for completion by the end of 2027, which would lead to exceeding the threshold of 1,800 km of high-speed roads in Romania. The remaining approximately 350 km include mostly difficult mountain sections (A1 and A8), with significant planning and engineering challenges, which require a horizon for a longer time”, believes Asociația Consturim Romania, one of the civic organizations that monitors the large infrastructure projects in the country.
“At the same time, two express roads with reduced complexity are contracted for execution – Arad-Oradea and Focșani-Brăila – for which, due to financing considerations, the works are scheduled to start in 2027, with prospects of completion in 2028”, the organization says.
Another approximately 300–400 km of highways are in various stages of preparation or bidding, with contract signing expected in 2026.
The highway network in Romania took shape especially after joining the EU
Romania's highway network experienced a real boom only after our country joined the European Union and benefited from countless non-refundable funds that went into the construction of roads and railways.
The year 2024 was, so far, the record year in terms of kilometers open to traffic, 195 km.
Until the year 2024, the previous record had been reached precisely in 2012 when 139 kilometers of highway were inaugurated.
At the end of 2015, Romania's network of high-speed roads – highways and expressways – reached 1416.3 kilometers.
The evolution of the kilometers of highway open to traffic annually in recent years in Romania
- 2004 – 97.2 km
- 2007 – 50.7 km
- 2009 – 42 km
- 2010 – 28 km
- 2011 – 57 km
- 2012 – 139 km
- 2013 – 108 km
- 2014 – 28.2 km*
- 2015 – 46.6 km
- 2016 – 22.1 km*
- 2017 – 15 km
- 2018 – 55.4 km
- 2019 – 42 km
- 2020 – 60.6 km
- 2021 – 33.5 km
- 2022 – 53.02 km
- 2023 – 81 km
- 2024 – 195 km
- 2025 – 146.5 km
*Lot 3 Cunța – Săliște from A1 Sibiu – Orăștie – 22.11 km – was initially opened in November 2014, but was closed in 2015 for major repairs on one piece. The entire lot was permanently reopened in October 2016.
