Constanta bypass road opens to traffic

The bypass will route heavy port traffic away from the town and will provide a free-flowing route for tourist traffic from Bucharest and the north of Romania to the seaside resorts south of Constanta.
The project also includes the rehabilitation of ten major bridges in the Constanta region, and the reconstruction of part of the national road network damaged by the severe floods in 2005, for which the works are currently on-going.
The EBRD is financing this important infrastructure project with a 145 million Euro 16-year loan provided in 2005, the Bank’s largest investment in Romania at that time. Part of the loan, equivalent to 56 million Euro, was extended in Romanian Lei to enable mitigation of foreign currency risk.
“We are delighted to see the northern Constanta bypass open to traffic today. This new modern road built with the support of the EBRD will help relieve congestion in the Constanta area, thus reducing travel times, and will reduce pollution considerably,” said Claudia Pendred, EBRD Director for Romania.  
"The opening of the northern Constanta bypass, which is the final section of the Bucharest-Constanta highway, will provide a direct link at its southernmost end to the port of Constanta.  Improving access to the port, which is the largest port in Romania, will also have important implications for regional development in this key economic area of the country and eastern Europe," added Sue Barrett, EBRD Director for Transport.