Romania’s spectacular Transfăgărășan mountain road to open earlier this year
Road crews have begun snow removal on Romania’s spectacular mountain road known as Transfăgărășan. Since there is less snow than in other years, the road could be opened much earlier than the usual date of July 1, according to authorities.
Transfăgărășan, Romania’s second-highest road after Transalpina, is being cleared of snow so it can be used in the summer. At the moment, snowdrifts reach several meters in height, and the road crews are making their way through them with difficulty, as shown in a video posted on Facebook.
"We have started clearing the Transfăgărășan! For now, we are working in areas where there is no avalanche risk and only when weather conditions allow for safe intervention. Considering that this year we have less snow than in other years, we estimate that we will be able to open this spectacular road much earlier than the usual date of July 1," representatives of DRDP Brașov said, cited by Digi24.
The Transfăgărășan, stretching over 27 kilometers, crosses the Făgăraș Mountains through Argeș and Sibiu counties. The road is considered the most spectacular in the country and reaches an altitude of 2,042 meters at Bâlea Lake.
The mountain highway is usually closed from late October until late June because of the snow and bad weather. Earlier this year, however, Romania signed a consultancy contract with Rutier Connex XXI, which will explore and suggest solutions for keeping the Transfăgărășan open all year.
(Photo source: Ionut Jula/Dreamstime.com)
