More than one quarter of roads in Romania are cobblestone or dirt roads, authorities said, reflecting how successive governments have dragged their feet investing in the country’s infrastructure.
„At the end of 2022, The length of public roads totaled 86,336 km, of which 17,582 km (20.4%) were national roads, 35,132 km (40.7%) county roads and 33,622 km (38.9%) communal roads. Of those 48.2% (41,653 km)were fully modernized roads, 24.3% (20,956 km) roads had light asphalt and 27.5% (23,727 km) cobblestone and dirt roads,” the National Institute of Statistics (INS) said on Friday.
Romania has 6,197 km (35.2%) of European roads and 950 km (5.4%) of highways, of which , 2,064 km (11.7%) were 4-lane roads, 308 km (1.8%) 3-lane roads and 35 km (0.2%) were 6-lane roads.
Some 35% of communal roads were cobblestone, which was phased out in Europe in the 19th century in favor of cheaper cement. Cobblestones are appreciated for their esthetic value but are less comfortable to drive on.
Romania has used billions of euros of EU funds in recent years to invest in modernizing its transport infrastructure.
Romania has 10,615 km of railway lines, of which 10,519 km (99.1%) lines with normal gauge, 91 km (0.9%) lines with wide gauge and 5 km lines with narrow gauge.
