The second motorway crossing the Carpathians, which connects Transylvania with Moldavia, has recently received a new, revised route. The reworked alignment includes significant changes: an approximately ten-kilometre detour in Bacău County, as well as several tunnels on the mountainous sections, including a new tunnel that will run beneath a protected area. The National Company for Road Investment (CNIR) presented the updated plans for the A13 motorway between Brașov and Bacău to the county authorities of Brașov and Covasna on Monday. The details of the modified route were shown to the staff of both county councils, as well as to the leaders of those communes through whose territory the motorway will pass. The new alignment was shaped by various factors, leading to the following changes: the motorway's route will be extended by about 10 kilometres to avoid the test track belonging to the Carfil – ROMARM investment near the village of Hărman in Brașov. On the challenging mountainous section running through Covasna and Bacău counties, it is planned to build tunnels on about 12 out of 17 kilometres. In addition, a tunnel of more than 500 metres in length is also planned to be built under the protected Lempeș Hill area near Brașov.
During the discussions, several proposals were made in the interest of local communities, including the installation of noise barriers to reduce noise pollution, measures to protect agricultural land, and the positioning of motorway junctions to provide easier connections to the road network for current and future investments. In addition, at the proposal of hunting and fishing associations, wildlife crossings (ecoducts) will also be built to ensure the safe passage of wild animals. A13 – The feasibility study is expected to be completed by 2026. The estimated total length of the section of the A13 motorway passing through Brașov, Covasna, and Bacău counties is nearly 163 kilometres; the development of the feasibility study will take 24 months and will begin in September 2024. The design work will be carried out by Consitrans S.R.L., following the signing of a contract worth 81 million lei excluding VAT. The Brașov–Bacău section of the A13 motorway will connect at a high-speed junction near Codlea to the planned Sibiu–Făgăraș–Brașov motorway, while near Bacău, next to Răcăciuni, it will link up with the Moldova Motorway, i.e., the A7.
