Length 314 km | Major cities Ploiești, Buzău, Focșani | |
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From: Ploiești (junction with A3) To: Siret (border with Ukraine) | ||
The Ploiești–Bacău–Pascani Expressway (Romanian: Drumul Expres Ploiești–Bacău-Siret) is a planned motorway in Romania, designed to link Ploiești with the north-eastern part of the country, partly along the Pan-European Corridor IX.
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History
Initially it was designed as a 314 km long motorway branching off the A3 motorway and passing through Buzău, Focșani, and Albița, to the border with 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. The motorway from Focșani to Albița (155 km) will have a different route number assigned. As of April 2014, the section between Focșani and Albița is no longer a priority in the current master plan for the national motorway network.
Sections
The first section, from Ploiești to Focșani (133 km), was proposed for a concession contract for tendering first half of 2013. 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, but built at only half profile. It was awarded for construction in November 2013, but the results of the tender were contested by some of the participants. 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.