A7 motorway shield))
A7 motorway
The A7 motorway's planned route as of 2022
A7 Bacău Bypass, Holt Interchange.jpg
Interchange with the DN2F at Holt, east of Bacău
Route information
Maintained by Compania Națională de Administrare a Infrastructurii Rutiere
Length16.2 km (10.1 mi)
319 km (198 mi) under construction
0 km (0 mi) tendered
118 km (73 mi) under design
453.3 km (281.7 mi) planned
Existed2020–present
Major junctions
South end A 3 near Ploiești
Major intersections A 13 near Răcăciuni
A 8 near Pașcani
A 14 near Suceava
North end M 19 at Siret (border with Ukraine)
Location
CountryRomania
CountiesPrahova, Buzău, Vrancea, Bacău, Neamț, Iași, Suceava
Major citiesPloiești, Buzău, Focșani, Bacău, Roman, Pașcani, Suceava
Highway system
← A 6→ A 8

The A7 motorway (Romanian: Autostrada A7),[1] also known as the Ploiești–Siret Motorway (Romanian: Autostrada Ploiești–Siret) or the Moldavia Motorway (Romanian: Autostrada Moldovei),[2] is a partially built motorway in Romania, that upon completion will link Ploiești to the north-eastern part of the country, partly along the Pan-European Corridor IX. It will run along the route: Buzău, Focșani, Bacău, Roman, Pașcani, and Suceava, connecting to Ukraine's M19 highway near Siret.[3]

As of December 2020, the only segment in service is a 16.2 km (10.1 mi) long section, built as part of the Bacău bypass (Romanian: 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.[4]

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 package).[5][2]

History

Initially it was designed as a 314 km (195 mi) long motorway branching off the A3 motorway and passing through Buzău, Focșani, and Albița, to the border with the Republic of Moldova. However, since 2014 plans in favor of a motorway past Focșani were scrapped in favor of a motorway towards Bacău, Suceava, and Siret termed A7.[6] The motorway from Focșani to Albița (155 km)[7] 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.[8]

Sections

Map of the Bacău bypass
The Bacău bypass

The first section, from Ploiești to Focșani (133 km),[9] was proposed for a concession contract for tendering first half of 2013.[10] No contract was signed, and the only section that has been tendered was the Bacău bypass (30.6 km, of which 16.2 km of motorway) in August 2013,[11] but built at only half profile.[11] It was awarded for construction in November 2013,[12] but the results of the tender were contested by some of the participants.[13] 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,[14] and they were expected to be finished by 2022,[15] but the contract with the Turkish company Eko İnşaat ve Ticaret was terminated in April 2017, due to financial difficulties of the constructor.[16]

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.[17]

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.[18] All other sections are in the feasibility study and technical project phase,[19] 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.[20] On 1 February 2022, the Buzău bypass (4.6 km) and the Focșani bypass (10.9 km) were auctioned for construction,[21] 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).[22]

On 7 June 2022, the segment between Mizil and Pietroasele (Ploiești - Buzău lot 2, 28.3 km) was awarded to the joint-venture Coni-Trace.[23] 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-Retter.[24] On 25 July 2022, the tender for the Bacău - Pașcani section (77.3 km) was launched, being divided into three lots: Bacău - Roman (lot 1, 30.3 km), Roman - Săbăoani (lot 2, 18.9 km), and Săbăoani - Pașcani (lot 3, 28.09 km).[25] In August 2022, the tender for Focșani - Bacău launched as well, also divided into three lots: Focșani - Domnești-Târg (lot 1, 35.6 km), Domnești-Târg - Răcăciuni (lot 2, 38.78 km), and Răcăciuni - Bacău (lot 3, 21.52 km).[26] On 6 September 2022, the Buzău bypass and the Focșani bypass were awarded to the joint-venture SA&PE-Spedition UMB-Tehnostrade.[27]

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.[28] Plans call that at Rădăuți (Milișăuți) the road towards Siret becomes an expressway, however this section is yet to have a route number assigned.[29][30]

As of August 2022, lots 1 and 2 of the Ploiești - Buzău section are undergoing construction.[31]

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, the national gas distribution provider, blamed the construction company for performing unauthorized work in the area.[32][33]

Openings timeline

Exit list

CountyLocationkmmiDestinationsNotes
BacăuBacău00.0 DN2 / DN11 – Bacău South, OneștiTemporary southern terminus
10.62Bistrița River
106.2 DN2F – Bacău East, Vaslui
Săucești169.9 DN2 / DN15 – Bacău North, Piatra NeamțTemporary northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ^ "Autostrada A7 Ploiesti - Pascani". 130km.ro. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Drulă: Centura Bacăului, parte din A7 - Autostrada Moldovei, va fi dată în folosinţă integral în perioada imediat următoare" (in Romanian). Digi24. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  3. ^ "HARTĂ INTERACTIVĂ Autostrada "Moldovei" A7 Pașcani - Suceava - Siret: Variantele de traseu analizate oficial" (in Romanian). HotNews.ro. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  4. ^ "Când vor fi scoase la licitație cele șase loturi din A7. Lucrările pe fiecare segment ar trebui terminate in maximum 2 ani jumătate" [When will the six lots from A7 be auctioned. Works on every segment could be finished in 2 years and a half the latest] (in Romanian). Ziare.com. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  5. ^ "Florin Cîțu, despre autostrada A7 Pașcani - Suceava - Siret: "Avem traseul final, va fi autostradă nu drum expres"". HotNews.ro (in Romanian). 14 May 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  6. ^ "Pe lotul de autostradă dintre Pecica şi Nădlac se va putea circula peste câteva zile".
  7. ^ "Constructie autostrazi Coridorul IX Ploiești - Albița Tronsonul Focșani - Albița". CNADNR. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  8. ^ "FOTOGALERIE Primele imagini cu masterplanul pentru transporturi - ce autostrăzi vrea sa facă Guvernul Ponta pâna în 2022". HotNews.ro. 8 April 2014.
  9. ^ "Construcție autostrăzi Coridorul IX Ploieşti - Albița Tronsonul Ploiești - Buzău - Focșani". CNADNR. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  10. ^ "CNADNR și-a anunțat intenția de construire, prin concesiune, a autostrăzii Ploiești-Buzău-Focșani". Ziarul Prahova. 15 January 2013.
  11. ^ a b "Primul tronson de autostradă din Moldova începe să prindă contur: Umbrărescu și Cășuneanu se bat pentru centura ocolitoare a Bacăului". Hotnews. 13 August 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  12. ^ "O companie din Turcia va construi centura ocolitoare a Bacăului, primul tronson de autostrada din Moldova, in dauna firmelor lui Umbrărescu și Cășuneanu". Hotnews. 14 November 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  13. ^ "Licitația pentru șoseaua de centură a Bacăului a fost contestată". 24 November 2013.
  14. ^ Lucrările la Centura ocolitoare a muncipiului Bacău inaugurate
  15. ^ "From national unity to territorial fracture. How Romania builds separate motorway networks for Transylvania, connected to Hungary, and for Wallachia, going nowhere". 2 April 2018.
  16. ^ "Centura Bacaului - primul petic de autostradă din Moldova". mobile.hotnews.ro.
  17. ^ "CNAIR a semnat contractul pentru varianta ocolitoare a municipiului Bacău: 142 de milioane de euro, 36 de luni pentru construcție și 7 ani garanție". HotNews.ro. 22 December 2018.
  18. ^ "Brațul nordic al Centurii Bacăului va fi recepționat și deschis circulației. Umbrărescu a terminat lucrările cu un an mai devreme". zdbc.ro (in Romanian). 3 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-03.
  19. ^ "Autostrada Moldovei: Tronsonul Ploiești - Buzău ar putea fi scos la licitație pentru construcție în mai - ministrul Transporturilor". www.economica.net (in Romanian). 2021-01-21. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  20. ^ "BREAKING Primul tronson din Autostrada A7, Ploiești-Buzău, a fost lansat la licitație". Economedia.ro (in Romanian). June 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  21. ^ Construcția autostrăzii Buzău - Focșani intră în faza de licitație, anunță ministrul Transporturilor
  22. ^ Ministrul Transporturilor: "Toată Autostrada Buzău - Focșani (82,44 km) este în fază de licitație!"
  23. ^ "Autostrada Ploieşti - Buzău: Contractul pentru construcţia lotului 2, Mizil – Pietroasele, semnat. Proiectul prevede şi construcţia a 20 poduri". adevarul.ro. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  24. ^ "Autostrada A7 Ploiești – Buzău: CNAIR a semnat contractul pentru execuția lotului 1 Ploiești – Mizil (21 km)". Economedia.ro (in Romanian). 2022-06-16. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  25. ^ "Autostrada Bacău - Pașcani: Au fost lansate în licitație contractele pentru construcția celor trei loturi - Grindeanu". Economica.net (in Romanian). 2022-07-25. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  26. ^ "Începe licitația pentru construcția sectorului de autostrada Focșani – Bacău". monitorizari.hotnews.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  27. ^ "Autostrada "Moldovei" A7: Au fost semnate contractele de execuție pentru 16 km din tronsonul Buzău - Focșani". monitorizari.hotnews.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 2022-09-06.
  28. ^ FOTO „Cocoașa de la Focșani”: Cum a ajuns un ocol inutil al traseului autostrăzii spre Moldova motiv de contre între Compania de Drumuri, societatea civilă și autoritățile locale
  29. ^ "Încep exproprierile pentru Autostrada Moldovei A7. Cât vor costa lucrările şi în cât timp ar trebui terminate" (in Romanian). Adevărul. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  30. ^ "A7 va avea profil de autostradă de la Pașcani până la intersecția cu DN 2H, spre Milișăuți. Până la graniță va fi drum expres" (in Romanian). svnews.ro. 2 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  31. ^ "Autostrada "Moldovei" A7 prinde, în sfârșit, viteză: Pe două loturi a început construcția, pe alte două se poate semna contractul de execuție". monitorizari.hotnews.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  32. ^ "VIDEO Explozie pe Autostrada Moldovei A7 la o magistrală de gaze: Patru persoane au murit, alte cinci sunt rănite / Video din dronă cu locul exploziei / Procurorii au deschis dosar penal". www.hotnews.ro (in Romanian). 2023-11-21. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
  33. ^ "Explosion at gas pipeline near construction site in Romania kills four". Reuters. 2023-09-21. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
  34. ^ "Primii kilometri de autostradă din Moldova au fost dați în trafic". 2 December 2020.

External links

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