European Investment Bank Vice-President Ioannis Tsakiris has visited a construction site near Curtea de Argeș in Romania where a tunnel is being built as part of the planned A1 motorway across the Carpathian Mountains.
Tsakiris observed work on the tunnel section of the route, which is due to receive up to €1 billion in European Investment Bank financing, according to the organisation.
The planned motorway will run for more than 122 kilometres, linking Pitești — northwest of Bucharest — with Sibiu in central Romania, the EIB said on Thursday.
Curtea de Argeș lies on the route in the Southern Carpathians, along the Argeș River.
The tunnel near Curtea de Argeș will be almost 1.4 km long and will have two lanes in each direction.
“This motorway is not only a national priority but also a vital European connection that will generate long-term benefits for citizens, businesses and regions,” Tsakiris said.
Funding and timeline
Tsakiris visited the site alongside Romania’s Director General for Transport and Infrastructure, Felix Ardelean, and they met project participants to review construction progress and discuss next steps, the EIB said.
The A1 motorway is scheduled for completion by 2029.
The EIB has signed two loan tranches of €500 million each for the project, which has a total estimated cost of about €5.5 billion and is also backed by EU grants and Romanian funding. The first tranche was signed in October 2025 and the second in January.
