Lot 3 of the A0 North Ring Motorway, built by the Chinese company CCECC between Afumați and Pantelimon, is 93.5% complete, but the authorities now estimate that the works will not be finished until October. The opening of an adjacent 4.4-kilometre lot, already completed by a Romanian contractor, depends on this section. The delay is now about seven months compared with the original contractual deadline.

(Staff: Romania / Infrastructure & Transport)

Bucharest’s ring motorway, known as A0, remains one of Romania’s most delayed infrastructure projects. The section built by Chinese company China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), between Afumați (DN2) and Pantelimon (DN3), is the one holding up the entire northern section.

A construction site with a complicated history

The contract for the 8.6 kilometres of Lot 3 was signed in March 2023, following a tender procedure launched as early as 2020 and blocked for years by appeals and court cases. CNAIR repeatedly tried to remove CCECC, but the Chinese company challenged every decision, resulting in six decisions by the National Council for Solving Complaints and three final rulings by the Bucharest Court of Appeal.

The contract provided for 12 months for design and 18 months for construction, which meant completion in February 2026. Actual works began much later, however, and the first building permit covered only the DN2 interchange. For the rest of the lot, the permit was issued only on 6 August 2024.

Current stage of the works

According to data supplied by CNAIR at the request of HotNews, Lot 3 is currently 93.5% physically complete. There are 137 workers and 102 machines on the site. Work is under way on the connection between the A0 interchange and DN2, on paving the ramps and the overpass above DC 27, as well as on the DJ300 overpass above A0.

The critical point remains the DN3 overpass above A0, which connects Lot 3 with Lot 4, already completed by Romanian contractor UMB. The overpass is 110 metres long and remains the most delayed part; the contractor is currently working on its ramps. In June, the physical progress of the overpass was only 60%.

Deadlines repeatedly missed

Since the original deadline in February 2026, the authorities have successively announced new completion dates, all of them missed. In spring, the target was August 2026. It was later moved to September 2026. CNAIR now acknowledges that this deadline is no longer achievable.

“Mobilization is average. At the moment, with this level of mobilization, I would rather say that the section will be ready in October. There is not much work left, but faster mobilization is needed,” said Alin Șerbănescu, CNAIR spokesperson, speaking to HotNews.

According to CNAIR, the delays were caused neither by technical problems nor unforeseen blockages, but exclusively by the poor mobilization of the Chinese contractor. “There were no other problems on this lot apart from the contractor’s poor mobilization,” Șerbănescu said. After the works are received, delay penalties will be calculated.

The “museum” lot that is waiting for nothing

The opening of Lot 4, measuring 4.47 kilometres and built by UMB between Cernica and Pantelimon, depends directly on the completion of Lot 3. This lot is completely finished, but it cannot be opened to traffic because it has no connection to the existing network without the completion of the DN3 overpass by the Chinese contractor.

In practice, a motorway section ready for traffic is sitting unused while the Chinese construction site is advancing at a pace that prevents it from being opened.

Criticism from infrastructure experts

The Pro Infrastructură Association, one of the most active civic organisations monitoring major infrastructure projects, has sharply criticised the delays. Ionuț Ciurea, the association’s executive director, told HotNews: “At the beginning of the year we were saying that June-July was a perfectly feasible deadline. But the Chinese are idle, and the authorities are just watching and doing nothing. So… maybe September, maybe October… maybe November.”

Ciurea believes that, given how little work remains, a serious contractor would have finished by the end of September: “At this pace, we can add another month.”

A larger project blocked by a single lot

A0 Nord is one of the Capital’s most important infrastructure projects, intended to create a motorway ring around Bucharest. While Lot 1 (Joița – Corbeanca) is advancing and could be opened even before its contractual deadline in April 2027, and Lot 4 is already completed, the entire northern section remains blocked by the Chinese-built 8.6 kilometres.

Conclusion

The motorway built by the Chinese near Bucharest is a striking example of how a single delayed lot can hold an entire infrastructure project back. With physical progress at 93.5% and apparently limited work remaining, Lot 3 should have been finished long ago. Instead, the Chinese contractor has shown poor mobilization, while the authorities have successively accepted new deadlines without visible sanctions. For drivers waiting for traffic congestion to ease in the north of the Capital, the promises remain just promises for now. And the 4.4-kilometre “museum” lot, fully completed, continues to stand unused, a reminder of bureaucracy and delays.