The longest route running exclusively on motorways and expressways

According to the information provided by the Pro Infrastructură Association, the last remaining section under construction of the DEx12 expressway between Craiova and Pitești is expected to open on Thursday. This will make the final 12-kilometer stretch between Albota and the junction with the A1 motorway in the Oarja/Catanele area accessible, thereby completing Section 4 on this important route. With this new opening, a record-breaking stretch comprising nearly 470 kilometers, consisting exclusively of motorways or expressways, will become available in Romania. This refers to the route spanning from Craiova to Ovidiu, which is located just a few kilometers from the Black Sea coast, at the northern endpoint of the A4 motorway. Currently, the country's road network contains 1,325 kilometers of motorways and expressways in operation, of which 55 kilometers have been opened nationwide up to 2025. The most recently inaugurated section enables uninterrupted travel between Craiova and Constanța, with drivers able to travel the entire distance on expressways or motorways. Section 4 of the DEx12 expressway was constructed by the UMB company; a portion was opened last year, and now the last part, about 13 kilometers long and connecting to the A1 motorway, is also being put into service. Thus, the entire 121-kilometer high-speed route is now fully completed, allowing travelers to reach Constanța from Craiova without interruption, after the last section of the A0 southern ring road around the capital has also been opened, facilitating the east-west bypass of Bucharest. Breaking down the route: from Craiova to the A1 motorway junction, drivers can travel 121 kilometers on the expressway, then 85 kilometers along the A1, 48 kilometers on the southern section of the A0, and then another 200 kilometers on the A2 motorway to reach Constanța. Near Constanța, the route is extended by 14 kilometers of the A4 (city bypass) and an additional 10 kilometers near Agigea and the port in the south. In essence, motorists can now drive continuously on motorway or expressway for 468 kilometers between Craiova–Pitești–Bucharest–Constanța–Agigea/port—currently the country’s longest uninterrupted high-speed road section. Regarding traffic volumes, the section of the A1 motorway between Bucharest and Pitești is the busiest in Romania. According to CESTRIN data, this section sees an average daily traffic of 30,000–40,000 vehicles. Traffic is particularly heavy on the road between Cățeasca (DJ703B) and Bradu (DN65B), which is also where the A1 and DEx12 meet. Here, the annual average daily traffic exceeds 44,000 vehicles, which is the highest figure nationally. By comparison, on the Sun Motorway, the first section leaving Bucharest has an average daily traffic of 27,764 vehicles, while the section of the A3 motorway near the capital registers a daily average of 24,846 vehicles.