North Transylvania Highway: Construction began 20 years ago, but completion is still far off.

In 2004, it was estimated at $2.2 billion, and now it is expected to be at least $4.19 billion, although it will only be built up to Târgu Mureș and not to Brașov. Exactly 20 years ago, on June 16, 2004, in the presence of Prime Minister Adrian Năstase and Deputy Prime Minister Béla Markó, the work on the Transylvanian highway commenced at Turda, which resulted in what is now the North Transylvania Highway. Today, out of nearly 282 kilometers, 130 kilometers are continuously drivable by highway between Târgu Mureș and Nădășelu. It has often been mentioned regarding the section leading to Cluj-Napoca that one could travel the entire way on the highway if Cluj-Napoca had a highway ring road. In the fall of 2023, the 13.55-kilometer section between Suplacu de Barcău and Sălaj was opened, although it does not connect to the existing road network. The contract for the construction of the 415-kilometer highway up to Brașov, worth $2.2 billion, was signed by the Bucharest government and the American company Bechtel in 2003, with a completion deadline of 2013.

The investment did not unfold as planned: the construction proceeded slowly, and the contractor demanded more and more money. By 2013, instead of completion, the contract was terminated, and Bechtel left the country with $1.5 billion, leaving behind 52 km of completed and 64 km of abandoned highway. The section between Gilău and Câmpia Turzii was passable, which was handed over in two parts in 2009 and 2010. After the termination of the contract, it was decided that the route would not continue from Târgu Mureș to Brașov. Since then, the segments Câmpia Turzii-Chețani, Chețani-Ogra, Ogra-Iernut, Iernut-Târgu Mureș, Suplacu de Barcău-Nădășelu, and the Borș-Biharia section were completed at a total cost of 1.9 billion lei, equivalent to $413 million. This means that 126 km of highway were built for $1.9 billion, while originally 415 km would have cost $2.2 billion. The past 20 years have been about the client's and contractors' mishaps, unsuccessful procurement processes, and court cases. The Câmpia Turzii-Chețani section was completed by the Strabag-Geiger consortium eight months ahead of the deadline. Six sections are still awaiting completion, with a total length exceeding 138 kilometers.

Construction on three of these sections is currently underway, with the contractor being UMB Spedition. Two viaducts have to be built between Nădășelu and Zimbor, costing 1.39 billion lei. The sections between Biharia-Bistra Teremap and Bistra Teremap-Subplac are under design. After three unsuccessful tenders, the CNAIR finally found a contractor for the section initiated by Bechtel in 2004, with Construcții Erbașu taking on the 26.35 km design and construction for 884 million lei. Erbașu must also complete a 1.6 km valley bridge. The 28.55 km section between Bistra Teremap and Biharia will be constructed by a consortium led by Precon, with the 758 million lei contract signed this April, but due to an ongoing lawsuit, they are only expected to start work in May 2025. The section between Vaskapu and Zalău poses the greatest technical challenge, as a 2.89 km tunnel also needs to be constructed.

The 7.5 billion lei contract will be signed shortly, and 78 months are allotted for the completion, meaning the highway from Târgu Mureș to the Hungarian border could be drivable by the end of 2030 at the earliest. The remaining work is valued at 10.532 billion lei, nearly $2.29 billion. Thus, the entire North Transylvania Highway will cost at least $4.19 billion, and the completion of the last section is expected more than 25 years after the initial groundbreaking.