The Comarnic Beltway has entered its final stage before opening to traffic. The asphalt has been completed along the entire nearly six-kilometer route, and the builders are now working on the final touches. Tests and checks of the bridges and viaduct are next, before the works are officially accepted.
The new road is expected to take on some of the traffic from DN1 and alleviate the frequent traffic jams that occur in Comarnic, one of the problematic areas for traffic flow in the Prahova Valley.
Prahova County Council announces that work is currently being done on the rainwater collection network on the overpass, and devices are being installed to cover the expansion joints of the bridges, as well as the guardrails and road signs.
Simultaneously, anti-corrosion protection is being applied to the concrete elements, and the embankments are being arranged, which will be covered with a layer of fertile soil.
Tests to Follow
After the completion of these works, tests and checks of the superstructures of the bridges and viaduct will commence. These are necessary before the project can move to the acceptance phase.
“We are very close to completion, but these final works must be treated with the same attention as the entire project. We will not skip any step and will not compromise on the verifications. Our goal is clear: the Comarnic Beltway must be completed and prepared for opening to traffic under safe conditions,” stated Virgiliu-Daniel Nanu, the President of Prahova County Council.
An exact date for the opening of traffic has not yet been announced. However, authorities have indicated in recent weeks that the goal is for the road to be ready by the end of August.
Nearly 6 Kilometers for Bypassing Comarnic
The bypass route is approximately 5.9 kilometers long and will bypass Comarnic to the west, so that some of the vehicles traveling on DN1 will no longer pass through the town.
The road includes four bridges, one of which crosses the Prahova River and the Bucharest-Brasov railway mainline. The road is designed for a speed of 90 km/h, which means that the route could be covered in approximately four minutes.
The design and construction contract was signed in May 2023, and work began in November of the same year. The contractor is the association of Frasinul SRL - Artehnis SRL.
The initial contractual completion deadline was June 2026, but the project experienced delays. Among the issues that arose during the process were obtaining permits, land subsidence, and changes to the route.
The beltway is one of the anticipated projects aimed at reducing traffic congestion in the Prahova Valley, considering that the DN1 currently passes through Comarnic and experiences heavy congestion, especially on weekends and during holiday periods.