A2 motorway

A2
Autostrada Soarelui
The Sun Motorway
Route information
Maintained by Compania Naţională de Autostrăzi şi Drumuri Naţionale din România
Length:	166 km (103 mi) Planned: 204 kilometres (127 mi)
Major junctions
From:	Bucharest
To:	Junction with A4
Location
Counties:	Ilfov, Călăraşi, Ialomiţa, Constanţa
Major cities:	Bucharest, Feteşti, Cernavodă, Medgidia, Murfatlar, Constanţa
Highway system
Motorways in Romania

The A2 motorway, nicknamed The Sun Motorway (Autostrada Soarelui in Romanian), is a motorway near completion in Romania which will, upon completion, link Bucharest to Constanţa, a city-port at the Black Sea shore. As of September 30, 2011, 166 km of the motorway's total 204 km length are completed and fully operational on two separate segments: Bucharest to Cernavodă (152 km) and Murfatlar – Constanţa West (Interchange with A4) segment (14 km).

History

The construction of the A2 motorway between Bucharest and Constanţa began in the communist era during Nicolae Ceauşescu's regime. The first section Feteşti – Cernavodă (about 18 km) opened in 1987. This section includes the Cernavodă Bridge complex system of motorway and railway bridges and viaducts over the Danube and one of its branches at Cernavodă. The motorway bridge passes under the historical railway bridge built by Anghel Saligny in 1896, while the new railway in use today separates the motorway's roadways.

After the fall of the communism in 1989 the construction continued for a short period, but it was finally stopped in 1993 due to lack of financial resources. The construction continued after 1998 and the highway is to be completed by mid 2012.

The total distance between Bucharest and Constanţa on the A2 motorway will be about 204 km. The first sector between the Bucharest Ring Road (km 12) and Fundulea (km 36) is made from concrete slabs. The motorway has 8 exits and 10 rest areas, 5 being served by filling stations, in each way. There is only one toll gate, at Feteşti (km 144), where the tax for crossing the Borcea Bridge is collected.

Exit list

Exits and buildings (Eastbound)
Bucharest – Cernavodă (152 km)
	A2 begins	Theodor Pallady Blvd, Bucharest
	(1)	Bucharest Ring Road		opened 2004
	(2)	Fundulea		opened 2004
	(3)	Lehliu Gară		opened 2004
	(4)	Drajna / Slobozia, Călăraşi		opened 2007
	(5)	Fetești		opened 1987
	Fetești Bridge	over Borcea branch of the Danube		opened 1987
	Cernavodă Bridge	over Danube		opened 1987
	(6)	Cernavodă		opened 1987
	(7)	Medgidia	under construction	estimated mid 2012
Murfatlar – Constanţa (14 km)
	(8)	Murfatlar		temporary exit, opened 2011
	Bridge	over Danube-Black Sea Canal		opened 2011
	A2 ends	A4 Constanţa Bypass Motorway		opened 2011

Openings timeline

A2 motorway

The A2 runs parallel with CFR Line 800 for many kilometers

• In October 1987, the 17,2 km segment Feteşti – Cernavodă was opened for traffic. The segment was closed for traffic again in September 2006 for complete rebuilding and reopened in 2007.
• On June 4, 2004 two segments opened for traffic: Bucharest – Fundulea (26.5 km) and Fundulea – Lehliu (29,2 km).
• In November 2004, the 42 km segment Lehliu – Drajna was opened for traffic.
• In June 2006, the 17,2 km segment Feteşti – Cernavodă was re-opened for traffic, after major rehabilitation works.
• Between July 1 and September 15, 2006, the 36,8 km segment Drajna – Feteşti temporarily opened for traffic on both ways but only on one lane.
• On May 1, 2007, the 36,8 km segment Drajna – Feteşti was re-opened for traffic.
• On July 29, 2011, the Murfatlar – Constanţa segment (21 km, including a segment of A4) was inaugurated (initially, on two of the total four lanes).^[1]
• On September 30, 2011 the Murfatlar – Constanţa was completed and opened on both carriageways.^[2]
• The final two segments Cernavodă – Medgidia (20.5 km) and Medgidia – Murfatlar (11 km) to be opened on June 30, 2012.^[3] The segment Cernavodă – Medgidia will be initially opened on one carriageway, and from January 2013 on both carriageways.^[4]
• The motorway will be prolonged to the Bulgarian border, as the European Union accepted to finance in 2011 the Constanţa – Vama Veche segment as A4.
• Next scheduled openings: Cernavodă – Medgidia – Murfatlar (31.5 km) on June 30, 2012 (according to constructors the opening of the segment Cernavodă – Medgidia will be delayed for July)^[5].

See also

• Roads in Romania
• Transport in Romania
• Cernavodă Bridge

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: A2 motorway (Romania)

• Motorways in Romania 2007-2013 (pdf file)
• A2 on Google maps

Coordinates: 44°24′26″N 26°14′04″E / 44.40722°N 26.23444°E / 44.40722; 26.23444

v t e Main roads in Romania Motorways Autostrada Bucureşti–Piteşti (A1) · Autostrada Soarelui (A2) · Autostrada Transilvania (A3) · Autostrada Litoral (A4) · Autostrada Ploieşti–Albiţa · Autostrada Est–Vest Main national roads DN1 · DN2 · DN3 · DN4 · DN5 · DN6 · DN7 · CB Other national roads DN1B · DN67C · DN7C · DN10 · DN100 · DN21