Government outlines next steps
Moldova’s government is preparing to move forward with the long-delayed construction of the Chișinău ring road, Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development Vladimir Bolea said.
According to the minister, work is currently underway on a feasibility study, which is expected to be completed by mid-year. This would allow authorities to launch tenders, with construction works planned to begin in 2027.
The project, intended to ease traffic congestion in the capital, has been under discussion since 2012. So far, around 6 kilometres of the planned 90-kilometre route have been completed, while the remaining sections are still at various stages of planning and approval.
Scope of construction and financing
The current plans focus on two sections: a roughly 9-kilometre stretch between Ialoveni and the Sculeni district of Chișinău, and an approximately 8.8-kilometre segment between Sculeni and Cricova.
Bolea said each section is expected to take around 18 months to complete. These works will not involve entirely new construction, as existing roads are already in place and will be upgraded, expanded to four lanes and equipped with modern interchanges.
Plans for other sections of the ring road, many of which would pass through agricultural land, remain at an earlier stage and are not expected to be implemented in the near term.
The minister also acknowledged that the project will rely on external financing, indicating that construction is likely to proceed through borrowing.
Previous proposals
Earlier attempts to advance the project have also faced delays. In 2019, then-president Igor Dodon said a Russian investor had been identified to implement the project.
At the time, the engineering and construction group Vozrozhdenie, which has experience building ring roads in Saint Petersburg and Ashgabat, was reported to be ready to take on the full project. However, the proposal was not pursued further following subsequent political changes.
