The traffic was restricted on Tuesday morning, May 21, near the Military Academy in Bucharest, after the road cracked and several bumps appeared in the asphalt. The traffic was blocked on Doctor Dumitru Bagdasar street, which is close to the Cotroceni Palace, where Romania's President has his office.

The bumps were caused by the digging operations for the new subway line in Bucharest, according to Metrorex, the company that operates the metro system.

“Due to unknown elements of the terrain the excavation pressure of the tunnel digging equipment Saint Filofteia, which is currently digging the subway tunnel between the Military Academy and the Eroilor 2 subway stations, has decreased. This led to materials going to the surface which caused the roadway to swell by 10-12 centimeters on about 6 meters. This only affected one road lane,” Metrorex explained in a press release. The company said it would repair the road.

This is the second infrastructure-related traffic blockage in Bucharest this week. A huge hole appeared earlier this week on Splaiul Independentei, one of Bucharest’s busiest streets that runs alongside the Dambovita river, causing the traffic restrictions in the area.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com