At the end of 2025, the authorities were announcing that 2026 could become a historic year for road infrastructure, with around 250 kilometers of motorway and expressway under construction to be inaugurated. Estimates continued to be optimistic.
Works at the Holdea Tunnel, on the A1. Photo: Daniel Guță. TRUTH
Less than 150 kilometers of highways and expressways were completed last year in Romania, yet 2025 was named “a historic year for road infrastructure” by Cristian Pistol, director of the National Road Infrastructure Administration Company (CNAIR), in a message published at the end of the year on his Facebook page.
He then estimated that the year 2026 will surpass the previous year in terms of road infrastructure works.
“In 2025 we reached the milestone of 1,418 kilometers of high-speed roads! This year we opened traffic on another 146 km of highway and expressway. Next year is even more ambitious: in 2026 the target is 250 new kilometers!”, notes the director of CNAIR.
His estimates aimed at the opening of approximately 125 kilometers of the A7 Moldova Motorway, so that drivers can travel uninterrupted from Bucharest to Pașcani. Cristian Pistol announced for 2026 the completion of the northern ring of the Capital's A0 Motorway, with three segments totaling approximately 28 km (17.5 km between DJ601 and DN1, 6.3 km Afumați – Cernica and 4.47 km DN3 – A2).
Among the targeted projects are also the 13.5 kilometers from the Margina – Holdea sector of the Lugoj – Deva A1, the approximately 10 kilometer Curtea de Argeș – Tigveni section of the Sibiu – Pitesti Highway (A1) and the Nădășelu – Porta Sălajulu segments of the Transilvania Highway (A3).
Also in 2026, the Brăila – Galați (DEx6) express road would be opened, with 12.29 kilometers, a project that will increase the utility of the suspension bridge over the Danube and ensure the fast connection between the two cities.
August, the month of inaugurations on the Moldova Highway
In recent years, Romanians have become accustomed to the fact that at the end of each year, Transport officials present optimistic estimates regarding the construction of highways. More often than not, over the course of the following year, they proved unrealistic. So far, the authorities have maintained their assessments of the state of extensive infrastructure work in 2026.
In March, the Minister of Transport, Ciprian Şerban, announced that the authorities estimate the completion of about 250 kilometers of highways and express roads by the end of the year, following discussions with the builders.
“At the end of this year, after the discussions we had with the builders, including the largest builder we have, and here I mean UMB, we estimate somewhere around 250-255 kilometers of highway and express roads completed by the end of the year,” said the Minister of Transport, quoted by Mediafax.
According to him, by the end of August, the segments under construction of the Moldovei A7 Motorway, respectively Adjud – Răcăciuni (24.38 km) and Răcăciuni – Bacău (21.52 km), as well as the three lots between Bacău and Pașcani, totaling approximately 77 kilometers, should be completed.
The Pro Infrastructure Association, which monitors major road and rail infrastructure projects, showed on March 16 that there are little chances that the opening of traffic on some sectors of the A7 Highway, with a length of almost 100 kilometers, on the Adjud Nord – Roman Nord (Săbăoani) section, will take place until August 31, 2026.
“Achieving the target is still possible, but it will be extremely difficult. Those at UMB must overcome themselves, mobilizing exemplary in three shifts, around the clock. More workers are needed, especially iron-concrete workers on the structures, to be brought as quickly as possible from the A3 and A0. Even if they succeed, such a heirup will inevitably affect the quality, especially of the fillings and asphalt layers, which require attention and respect for times technological”, informs the Pro Infrastructure Association.
With the inauguration of the A7 sections, the historical regions of Moldova and Muntenia will be connected by a highway of almost 400 kilometers, from Bucharest to Pașcani. The new highway will connect the cities of the Moldova region, via Capital, with those of Dobrogea (via A2 Bucharest–Constanța), Muntenia and Oltenia (via A0, A1, DEx12 Bucharest–Craiova).
“Highway of tunnels” in the west, half way. Its completion in 2026 is becoming increasingly uncertain
The inauguration of some highways in 2026 under question
More reserved are the estimates regarding the completion in 2026 of some sections of the A1 (Vestului) and A3 Transilvania highways.
Started in 2024, the works on the Margina – Holdea section of the Western Motorway (A1 Lugoj – Deva), also called “Highway with tunnels”, with a total length of 13.5 kilometers, have an estimated completion date of September 2026, according to the data of the Center for Road and Informatics Technical Studies (CESTRIN) within CNAIR. The current stage of work has reached 53 percent, and the difficult work on the 1.1-kilometer viaduct and the two tunnels is still far from completion.
However, it is still necessary to excavate approximately two kilometers of galleries, out of the 4.6 kilometers of the two tunnels, manufacture and install approximately 450 beams on approximately 1.5 kilometers of passages and carry out other infrastructure works, according to CNAIR.
In a similar situation are the works on the approximately 40 kilometers of Autostrada Transilvania (A3) Cluj – Oradea, on the segment Nădășelu – Porta Sălajului. The opening of the section this year is conditional on the completion of the works started in 2025 on the 3.2 kilometers of viaducts built at Nădășelu and Topa Mică and at the road junction at Românași.
Work on the two viaducts began in the spring of 2025 and is due to be completed in 2026. Their construction is imposed by the clayey and unstable soil, which does not allow the creation of a classic embankment and requires complex engineering solutions, with deeply drilled piles and massive concrete structures.
Also in 2026, the road junction from Românași will have to be completed, to ensure the connection between Autostrada Transilvania, DN1F and DJ108A, until the completion of the Poarta Sălajului – Zalău section, estimated for 2031.
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Motorways and expressways expected in 2026
According to the data centralized by the 130km.ro platform, in 2026, segments of highways and express roads with a total length of over 320 kilometers, from projects located on the A0, A1, A3, A7, A8 and DEx6, are scheduled to be completed.
Most inaugurations are expected on the A7 Moldovian Highway. Between Focșani and Bacău, the sections Adjud – Răcăciuni (24.38 km) and Răcăciuni – Bacău (21.52 km) could be opened, and north of Bacău the three sections to Pașcani are under construction: Săucești – Trifești (30.30 km), Trifești – Gherăiesti (18.99 km) and Mircești – Pașcani (28.09 km). In total, more than 120 km could be inaugurated on the A7.
On the Transilvania A3 highway, openings are estimated between Cluj and Bihor, totaling over 68 km, on the Suplacu de Barcău – Chiribiș, Nădășelu – Mihăiesti sectors, the viaducts from Nădășelu and Topa Mică, Mihăiesti – Zimbor and Zimbor – Porta Sălajulu.
On the A1 highway, the completion of the Margina – Holdea section (13.52 km) is expected, with the tunnels that will close the lack of highway between Lugoj and Deva, but also the opening of the Tigveni – Curtea de Argeș section (9.86 km) from Sibiu – Pitești.
Around the Capital, on the A0 Highway, several lots could be inaugurated in the north of Bucharest: DN3 – A2 (4.47 km), Afumați – Cernica (6.30 km) and DJ601 – DN1 (17.50 km).
The Leghin – Târgu Neamț (29.91 km) and Târgu Mureș – Miercurea Nirajului (24.40 km) sectors are under construction on the A8 Unirii Motorway, to which the Ungheni bridge (1.10 km) over the Prut is added.
The list of possible inaugurations in 2026 also includes the Brăila – Galați express road (12.29 km), the centralization published by 130km.ro shows.
