Romania’s national road DN76 rehabilitated

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Passing through the counties of Hunedoara, Arad and Bihor, the DN76 is 171.6 km long and is a component of the core Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).Rehabilitation of the road will improve connections between Deva and Oradea and other areas offering extensive employment opportunities. This will reduce journey times to and from work and related transport costs for local residents. In addition, the project will stimulate regional mobility and increase accessibility to TEN-T road infrastructure, with a view to boosting the impact of the network in western Romania.In terms of the number of people likely to have the chance to benefit from the upgraded infrastructure regularly basis, the three counties in which the DN76 is located have an overall population of over 1.4 million.Funding for the first phaseThe total cost for the first phase of the project came to over EUR 74 million, of which in the region of EUR 48 million was deemed eligible to be covered via EU financing instruments. Ultimately, the EU financial contribution during the first phase came to over EUR 41 million, with just under EUR 33 million from national sources.The DN76 forms part of European route E79, which runs from Miskolc, Hungary, to Thessaloniki, Greece. It has a total length of 1 300 km, most of which is in Romania, and also passes through Bulgaria.Important centres in western RomaniaWith a population of approximately 60 000, Deva is the capital and largest city of Hunedoara county. Its Citadel Hill, which overlooks the city, is an important tourist attraction due to the presence of the remains of the 13th-century citadel and a nature reserve with rare species of flora and fauna.Noted for its thermal springs and Baroque and Art Nouveau architecture, Oradea is home to about 200 000 people and the site of one of Romania’s principal universities. It is the capital and largest city of Bihor county and the tenth-largest city in Romania as a whole.Located 10 km from Oradea, also in Bihor county, Borș is one of the most important crossing points along the Hungarian-Romanian border. The municipality’s population is spread across four villages: Borș, Santăul Mare, Santăul Mic and Sântion.Total investment and EU fundingTotal investment for the project “Rehabilitation of National Road No. DN 76 (E79) Deva – Oradea – phase II” is EUR 131 252 869, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 76 230 372 through the “Large Infrastructure” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Developing a multimodal transport system of high durability, quality and efficiency”.