Bridge of Flowers to link Moldova and Romania
Construction of a new road bridge over the Prut River, connecting the towns of Golăiești in Romania and Zagarancea in the Republic of Moldova, will begin on April 26, coinciding with the Easter of the Departed, a traditional day of remembrance.
The groundbreaking ceremony will be held at 11:00 a.m. on both sides of the river, as announced by Moldova’s Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development, Vladimir Bolea, during the “360 Degrees” program on Radio Moldova. The minister invited all Moldovan citizens to take part in this symbolic event.
The foundation stone for the bridge—designed with four traffic lanes—will be laid on both banks of the river. This structure marks the end of the A8 motorway, also known as the Union Motorway, which runs from Pașcani through Iași to Ungheni. On the Moldovan side, construction will also begin on the first section of a corresponding motorway.
The future bridge will be named the “Bridge of Flowers,” referencing the 1990 event that saw Romanians and Moldovans symbolically reunited on the banks of the Prut River.
The bridge will have four lanes—two in each direction—as well as pedestrian walkways. It will measure 261 meters in length. In its first stage, the bridge will be 13 meters wide, expanding to 24.25 meters in the second stage. The project also includes a modern border checkpoint equipped for thorough customs inspections, parking areas for trucks and passenger vehicles, and a 1-kilometre access road.
The Bridge of Flowers is part of the strategic A8 Union Motorway, which will link Târgu Mureș, Iași, and Ungheni to the border with Moldova and will connect with Moldova’s National Road R1, running from Chișinău to Ungheni.
According to authorities, provisional traffic on the bridge is expected to begin in autumn 2026, while full completion of the Union Motorway is anticipated between 2029 and 2030.
The entire project is funded by the European Union through the Connecting Europe Facility, with a total value exceeding €30 million.
Additionally, Romania’s Ministry of Transport has announced plans to build four more road bridges across the Prut River. The feasibility studies for these projects are expected to be completed within 12 months. The estimated cost for the first phase of designing each bridge is 1.1 million lei, excluding VAT.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
