Roads

[High Mileager]

After reading the below post of Le Clerk I felt that we should have a separate thread about national roads as these are the ones mainly keeping our country "going" for now; the motorways represent only a couple hundreds km (280 to be exact!) but we have two threads about motorways.However I haven't seen much about national roads
Hope you all agree ..

Originally Posted by Le Clerk

Apropos de ambuteiaje si de drumurile de la noi. Am facut in ultimele zile drumul de la Bucuresti la Sibiu (8 h), de la Sibiu la Brasov (4h) si de la Brasov la Bucuresti (3h). Am senzatia ca in curand va fi foarte greu sa trecem muntii cu masina (valea Oltului cel putin este infernala cu un trafic nebun de camioane).

Ce am observat cu satisfactie este ca drumul dintre Sibiu si Brasov este upgradat la 2 benzi pe sens pe intrega lungime (se lucreaza din km in km pe aceasta distanta de aprox. 150 km), si se creeaza si rigole de scurgere a apelor pe marginea acestui drum, iar podurile sunt ramforsate. In plus, in satele si comunele prin care trece acest drum se fac trotuare foarte moderne si rigole de scurgere a apelor. Am senzatia ca intrega infrastructura rurala pe traiectoria acestui drum este refacuta.

In plus, am facut drumul Constanta-Galati pe varianta veche prin Orsova-Slobozia si am observat ca drumul este in reconstructie si pe anumite portiuni au fost montate bariere de demarcare a marginii drumului (nu stiu exact cum se numesc - Radi le numea shiny crash bariers) care arata foarte bine.

Pacat ca nu avem incat o autostrada care sa traverseze muntii si ca va mai trece ceva timp pana se va finaliza una.

Harta de mai jos arata variante ocolitoare pt a evita ambuteiaje pe A2 si DN1

[Le Clerk]

I agree with all, but the fact that Romania has only a couple of hundred km of highway.

A1: Bucharest-Pitesti: 130 km (Pitesti bypass included)
A2: Bucharest-Cernavoda: 150km

So that makes about 280 km of motorway.

[High Mileager]

..ok I "fixed" that

[Le Clerk]

I can't wait for the Brasov-Sibiu road to be completed to 2X2 lanes. It's gonna look great, as I noticed on some sections already. But it'll probably take them another year or so.

[High Mileager]

This presentation says it all..

http://www.romanianmonasteries.org/r...aras-mountains

[Cosmin]

It would probably be best to have a joint thread for all types of highways, not two separate threads, one for motorways and the other for main roads. However, I think I'll leave this two like this for now... see how this one evolves.

[Le Clerk]

Can anyone near Brasov help us with some pics of the newly built sections of the Brasov-Sibiu road? I just drove by and thought they look very good, but was in a hurry and couldn't take pics.

I think about 15-20 km before Brasov the road has some completed sections.

[High Mileager]

DN7 near Sibiu



Commodore's picture !

[Rhemaxos]

Originally Posted by High Mileager

This presentation says it all..

http://www.romanianmonasteries.org/r...aras-mountains

Stating that Transfagarasan (DN7C) is the highest road in Romania is sort of common knowledge already. But it's actually wrong. It's not Transfagarasan but the so-called Transalpina (DN67C - from Novaci to Sebes) that earns this title by climbing up to 2145 m altitude!

I've been there last weekend and I'll try to post some pictures tommorrow.

[Rhemaxos]

Originally Posted by Le Clerk

I can't wait for the Brasov-Sibiu road to be completed to 2X2 lanes. It's gonna look great, as I noticed on some sections already. But it'll probably take them another year or so.

I'm starting to get use being the guy with the bad news here. We won't get a 4 lanes national road between Sibiu and Brasov at this moment in time. They are only widening the road platform up to 10 metres (which would actually mean 2 x 3.5 meters wide lanes and 1.5 metres wide consolidated sideways).

The good news would be that an expressway is curently foreseen to be built on Sibiu - Fagaras route (linking future Transylvania and Sibiu - Pitesti Motorways). The bad news (again!) would be that we won't have it in the coming years, no matter what the politicians may promise...

[Le Clerk]

Originally Posted by Rhemaxos

I'm starting to get use being the guy with the bad news here. We won't get a 4 lanes national road between Sibiu and Brasov at this moment in time. They are only widening the road platform up to 10 metres (which would actually mean 2 x 3.5 meters wide lanes and 1.5 metres wide consolidated sideways).

The good news would be that an expressway is curently foreseen to be built on Sibiu - Fagaras route (linking future Transylvania and Sibiu - Pitesti Motorways). The bad news (again!) would be that we won't have it in the coming years, no matter what the politicians may promise...

Both above are still good news. The widening of the platform will ease the traffic in the region significantly. Do you know when the works are scheduled for completion?

Also, I wonder why don't they just transform this road into an expressway from now, and have to wait until the motorways are completed. How much would the difference in cost be (percentage wise)?

Thanks for the answer.

[Le Clerk]

OK, guys. So I heard our PM saying that he ordered the Bucharest ring-road to be extended to 3x3 lanes, and not to 2x2 as currently planned. I am sure he's bluffing for the elections. Any other info on this???

[Rhemaxos]

Originally Posted by Le Clerk

Both above are still good news. The widening of the platform will ease the traffic in the region significantly. Do you know when the works are scheduled for completion?

Also, I wonder why don't they just transform this road into an expressway from now, and have to wait until the motorways are completed. How much would the difference in cost be (percentage wise)?

Thanks for the answer.

As far as I know the rehabilitation works should be completed by the end of this year. Not so sure, however, if it's still the case (usually in road construction "shit happens" like Forrest Gump would say) - bu I'll try to find out tommorrow.

The proposed expressway intends to provide a rapid link between the two motorway corridors. And upgrading the existing national road would simply not be enough for this (or not so cost-effective). It is first of all about controlled access: for that road to be called an expressway every single village alongside NR 1 should be bypassed. Then it's the design speed which is fully depending on the road's geometry (radius of the curves, declivities and slopes angles a.s.o). Given the existing road's chracteristics, a large part of the existing alignment should probably be changed and the main advantage of upgrading the existing road rather than building a new one would be losted.

It's difficult to provide a cost estimation comparison, but I feel like they went for the most feasible solution. Not to mention that the traffic forecasts show congestion in mid-time perspective and a new experssway would accomodate future flows in a much better manner, as the existing road would still remain in use for local traffic.

[Le Clerk]

Thanks a lot Rhemaxos for the above.

[Rhemaxos]

You're welcomed

Originally Posted by Le Clerk

OK, guys. So I heard our PM saying that he ordered the Bucharest ring-road to be extended to 3x3 lanes, and not to 2x2 as currently planned. I am sure he's bluffing for the elections. Any other info on this???

If this proves to be true - then God help us!

Voltaire said once that the perfect is the enemy of the good...

[High Mileager]

on Pitesti - Slatina road


Shot with

[High Mileager]

Originally Posted by Rhemaxos

Stating that Transfagarasan (DN7C) is the highest road in Romania is sort of common knowledge already. But it's actually wrong. It's not Transfagarasan but the so-called Transalpina (DN67C - from Novaci to Sebes) that earns this title by climbing up to 2145 m altitude!

[Rhemaxos]

That's it, indeed!





You could only find asphalt up to Ranca - but it's still classified as National Road, however. Anyway, as asphalt usually brings upon manele&barbecue lovers, I would prefer Transalpina to be left like that...

[nebunul]

seems quite up to date ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roads_in_Romania

[Rhemaxos]

It is actually more accurate than a map I saw about one year ago on the line ministry's website stating that there is a motorway close to completion on Bucharest - Giurgiu route.

It's only Pitesti motorway bypass that doesn't exactly fit in (both its position and construction status)