Romania's motorways are crumbling

The 100-kilometre-long A1 which stretches between Bucharest and Piteşti, one of Romania's few motorways, is in need of a complete overhaul despite the fact that it was completely renovated only ten years ago. Almost 80 percent of the stretch is peppered with potholes. The daily Gândul comments: "The rest of the motorway has crumbled to dust because the great National Motorway and Road Authority has no money to maintain it. In such conditions it's ridiculous to discuss tolls or higher taxes on petrol. ... For this money goes first and foremost to the political wise guys, the kings of the asphalt. Only at the very end does it trickle down to be used for road repairs. This is a case of administrative incompetence in its purest form. If the government is incapable of building new motorways and covering the resulting losses then at least it should be able to avoid losing what's already there. So the question of whether it can afford to build a new stretch of motorway is of secondary importance."  

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