Romania ignores construction of expressways, despite 50% lower costs compared with a motorway
The Transport and Infrastructure Ministry has set the
construction of the Pan-European Transport Corridor IV as a
priority for the coming years, completely forgetting about
expressways, which can be built at a cost per kilometre that is
55-60% of that of a motorway.
The expressway is a four-lane road, where the lane direction can be
reversed to balance the traffic load, while a motorway entails at
least two-lanes per way, emergency lanes, as well as clear markings
separating the two sets of lanes in the middle.
Romania had only 382 kilometres of expressways at the end of 2009,
according to ZF's information, while Poland for instance has 718
kilometres of expressways with 570 kilometres more in various
stages of construction, according to the information available on
the website of the Infrastructure Ministry in Warsaw.
Expressways are not on the priority list of the Transport and
Infrastructure Ministry for the next few years, either, even though
plans were made for them at least on paper.