The famous high-altitude road Transfagarasan will close for traffic on November 4, according to CNAIR, the Romanian company that manages the road infrastructure.

The road will stay closed during winter and spring months. It usually reopens at the beginning of July.

“Starting Monday, November 4, 2019, the road traffic will be closed on DN 7C (Transfagarasan) from km 104 + 000 (Piscu Negru) to km 130 + 800 (Cabana Balea Cascada),” CNAIR said. The company also urged drivers to respect the restrictions.

The Transfagarasan road was built at the orders of Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu between 1970 and 1974 to ensure a military strategic route through the mountains. It has a length of 90 km and reaches an altitude of 2,040 m. It includes Romania’s longest road tunnel (887 meters).

The road has become a setting for drive tests, photo shootings, and auto commercials for sports cars and motorcycles in recent years. It became famous worldwide after British TV show Top Gear shot an episode in Romania in 2009. Former Top Gear star Jeremy Clarkson then called it “the best road in the world.”

newsroom@romania-insider.com

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