Romania still has 132.4 kilometers of highway to build financed through the NRRP, but only 45.9 kilometers are expected to be completed by August 31, when the European program ends. For the remaining works, authorities promise funds from the state budget and completion by the end of the year.
The only segment that could meet the deadline is Adjud–Bacău, part of the Moldova Highway A7. The other 86.5 kilometers – the Bacău–Pașcani section and the Margina–Holdea section on A1 – have no chance of being completed by the end of August.
CNAIR claims that the works completed by this date will be paid for through the NRRP, and the rest of the expenses will be covered from the state budget. However, the Pro Infrastructure Association views the promises with skepticism and warns that the pace of the construction sites could decrease after the disappearance of European funding pressure.
– Source: [S-au deschis 12 km din Autostrada Transilvania, după ani de întârziere](https://spotmedia.ro/stiri/economie/se-deschid-12-km-din-autostrada-transilvania-dupa-ani-de-intarziere-pro-infrastructura-arata-cu-degetul-spre-umb-si-cnair)
### Adjud–Bacău, the only segment meeting the deadline
The Adjud–Bacău segment, with a length of 45.9 kilometers, is expected to be open to traffic on August 31 or September 1, according to CNAIR spokesperson Alin Șerbănescu.
This is part of the Focșani–Bacău section of A7, 95.9 kilometers long and divided into three lots. The contracts, totaling 9.1 billion lei, were awarded in November 2022 to the UMB Spedition – SA&PE Construct – Tehnostrade consortium.
The Focșani–Domnești Târg lot, 35.6 kilometers, and the Domnești Târg–Adjud section, 14.4 kilometers, were opened to traffic in December 2025. With the inauguration of the remaining segment to Bacău, this part of the Moldova Highway is expected to be complete.
– Source: [Peste 233 km de autostrăzi și drumuri expres ar putea fi deschiși în 2026. Pro Infrastructură: Unele termene sunt prea optimiste](https://spotmedia.ro/stiri/social/peste-233-km-de-autostrazi-si-drumuri-expres-ar-putea-fi-deschisi-in-2026-pro-infrastructura-unele-termene-sunt-prea-optimiste)
### Bacău–Pașcani, significantly behind schedule
The situation is much more complicated on the Bacău–Pașcani section, 77.38 kilometers long, divided into three lots:
– Săucești–Trifești Târg: 30.3 kilometers;
– Trifești–Gherăiești: 18.99 kilometers;
– Mircești–Pașcani: 28.09 kilometers.
The contract worth 4.7 billion lei was signed in February 2023 with the same consortium led by UMB. The execution period was 30 months, so the works should have been completed by the end of 2025.
Currently, the physical progress has barely exceeded 65% on the first two lots and is around 50% on the third, according to CNAIR data.
The company claims that the entire section will be completed by the end of this year. However, Pro Infrastructure representatives believe that such a deadline is overly optimistic.
Ionuț Ciurea, the executive director of the association, estimates that in 2026, at most, the highway could be opened up to Săbăoani, north of Roman. The segment would be less than 50 kilometers, and the Mircești–Pașcani lot would remain unfinished.
– Source: [Cum arată șantierele de autostrăzi pentru inaugurările din 2026: cu întârzieri, tot deschidem aproape 240 km (Video)](https://spotmedia.ro/stiri/social/cum-arata-santierele-de-autostrazi-pentru-inaugurarile-din-2026-cu-intarzieri-tot-deschidem-aproape-240-km-video)
### Margina–Holdea, the missing link on A1
The third project is the Margina–Holdea section, 9.13 kilometers long, part of the A1 Lugoj–Deva highway. It is the only missing piece of the approximately 320 kilometers of highway between Sibiu and the Hungarian border.
The works are complicated by the construction of 2.5 kilometers of tunnels designed to protect animals crossing the area. The contract, worth 1.82 billion lei, is also executed by UMB.
The physical progress of the entire construction site has reached 72%, according to CNAIR director Cristian Pistol. Both galleries of the first tunnel have been pierced, and work is underway on the drainage system. Excavations continue at the second tunnel: one gallery has 85 meters remaining, while the other has only five meters left.
CNAIR states that the section will be completed by the end of the year, although the contract allows for the works to be finished in 2027.
– Source: [Autostrada care va lega Moldova de Transilvania prinde viteză: primele porțiuni ar putea fi gata în 2027](https://spotmedia.ro/stiri/social/autostrada-care-va-lega-moldova-de-transilvania-prinde-viteza-primele-portiuni-ar-putea-fi-gata-in-2027)
### Who pays after the end of the NRRP
„Payments will be made through the NRRP for what has been completed by August 31. The rest will come from the state budget,” explained CNAIR spokesperson Alin Șerbănescu.
The government negotiated with the European Commission for the works completed by the end of August to be reimbursed through the NRRP. The value of what could have been built by the deadline was estimated in advance, and the funds were reserved.
The difference of approximately 700 million euros, corresponding to the works that will not be completed on time, was reallocated to other projects. Thus, CNAIR claims that Romania does not lose money from the NRRP, but will have to cover the remaining costs from the state budget.
– Source: [Sud-estul României nu va avea autostrăzi, doar promisiuni de drumuri expres. Unul trebuie inaugurat chiar în acest an](https://spotmedia.ro/stiri/social/sud-estul-romaniei-nu-va-avea-autostrazi-doar-promisiuni-de-drumuri-expres-unul-trebuie-inaugurat-chiar-in-acest-an)
### Pro Infrastructure fears that the works will slow down
Ionuț Ciurea warns that all A7 lots north of Focșani are delayed. According to him, the sections should have been completed according to the contract back in November 2025.
The main issue is what will happen after the European funding ends. If the funds from the budget come in small installments, the constructor will not be able to maintain the current pace, and the completion deadline will depend on the amounts allocated each year.
„With one eye you laugh, with one you cry,” Ciurea summarizes Romania’s results. A7 will provide a continuous highway link between Ploiești and Bacău, but the initial goal was for the road to reach Pașcani.
Additionally, two lots of the A8 Unirii Highway, totaling 54.3 kilometers, were removed from the NRRP and transferred to the Transport Program, and the Margina–Holdea section will not be completed on time. „It’s better than nothing, but it’s far from optimal,” concluded the Pro Infrastructure director.
– Source: [Pro Infrastructura se teme că lucrările vor încetini](https://spotmedia.ro/stiri/social/autostrada-care-va-lega-moldova-de-transilvania-prinde-viteza-primele-portiuni-ar-putea-fi-gata-in-2027)