Ceaușescu's abandoned plan for 3200 kilometers of highways in Romania

Romania today ranks last in the European Union for road infrastructure quality, despite the fact that more than fifty years ago there was an ambitious plan to build a national network of highways. Thirty-three years after the fall of the communist regime, our country faces one of the most deficient road infrastructures in Europe, raising questions about the missed opportunity of a major project from the past.

According to a recent Impact.ro report, Romania holds the last position in the EU ranking for road quality, being surpassed even by Bulgaria, which sits in 34th place out of 40 evaluated nations. This situation becomes even more worrying when we consider that our country records the highest number of fatal road accidents per capita in Europe.

The original vision from the communist era

Between 1967 and 1969, during Nicolae Ceaușescu’s regime, an ambitious plan was drawn up to develop Romania’s road infrastructure. The document, prepared by the country’s most renowned engineers of that period, foresaw the construction of 3200 kilometers of highways to connect all regions of Romania.

The plan had a clear geographic logic and aimed to create a coherent network of rapid transport between the country’s main economic zones. The project was to be implemented after 1990, showing that there were long-term plans for modernizing the infrastructure.

Photo source: magazinsalajean.ro

Main components of the planned network

West–East Highway

The backbone of the plan was a highway intended to connect Timișoara to Vama Veche, traversing the country from west to east. The route would pass through:

• Drobeta Turnu Severin
• Craiova
• Alexandria
• Bucharest

This main artery would facilitate the transport of goods and people between the border area with Yugoslavia and the coast of the Black Sea, connecting the main industrial centers in the southern part of the country.

Muntenia–Moldova Connection

A second major component aimed to link Muntenia with Moldova via a highway that would start in Ploiești and pass through:

• Buzău
• Focșani
• Bacău
• Suceava
• Continuing up to near the border with Ukraine (then the USSR)

Transylvania–Moldova Link

The plan also foresaw connecting Transylvania with Moldova, thus completing the country’s main triangle and ensuring optimal accessibility between all historic regions.

Historical context and origins of the plan

Although officially documented during the communist period, this highway plan seems to have its roots in the interwar period, before World War II. Romania already had engineers and specialists capable of envisaging infrastructure at a European level.

Implementing this plan would have required an investment of approximately €19 billion, a substantial sum for the Romanian economy of that time. However, the cost should be evaluated in the context of long-term benefits for the country’s economic and social development.

The state of infrastructure in 1989 and post-December evolution

The 1989 legacy

At the end of the communist regime, Romania had only 117 kilometers of highways:

• 96 km on the Bucharest–Pitești route
• 17 km toward the coast
• Only a few urban segments

Post-revolution progress

Evolution after 1989 was disappointing in terms of the construction pace:

• 2004: Completion of the first post-revolutionary segment (Bucharest–Fundulea–Drajna)
• 2022: Approximately 981 km of highways and express roads
• Present: Nearly 1000 km in total

These figures place Romania far from the developed EU countries:

• Spain: 16,204 km
• Germany: 12,845 km
• France: 11,882 km

Economic and social impact of the unrealized plan

Missed economic benefits

Implementing the original plan could have radically transformed the Romanian economy by:

• Reducing transport costs
• Attracting foreign investments
• Developing tourism
• Creating jobs in construction and related services

Current consequences of deficient infrastructure

The lack of a coherent highway network is reflected in:

• High logistics costs for companies
• Excess travel times
• Increased pollution in towns traversed by transit traffic
• Frequent road accidents on overloaded national roads

Lessons for the future

The communist-era plan, regardless of the political context in which it was conceived, demonstrates that Romania had the technical capacity and the vision needed to develop infrastructure. The comparison with today’s situation raises important questions about prioritizing public investments and the efficiency of implementing major infrastructure projects.

Today, as our country seeks to close the gap with European partners, past experience can offer valuable lessons about the importance of long-term planning and the consistent implementation of strategic infrastructure projects.