The construction of the motorway between Bucharest and Constanța began in the
communist era during
Nicolae Ceaușescu's regime. The first section, from
Fetești to
Cernavodă (about 18 km), was opened on 21 November 1987, simultaneous to the new railway bridge and underwent a major rehabilitation in 2003. It crosses the
Balta Ialomiței island and includes the
Cernavodă Bridge complex system of motorway and railway bridges and viaducts over the
Danube and one of its branches at Cernavodă. The motorway bridge passes under the
historical railway bridge built by
Anghel Saligny in 1895, while the new railway in use today separates the motorway roadways. After the fall of the communism in 1989, construction continued for a short period, but it was finally stopped in 1993 due to lack of financial resources. When it was completed, it differed from the original plans from the 70s. The original plan of the A2 motorway envisaged a route running northwards through
Urziceni and
Slobozia, while the current route of the motorway runs eastwards in a straight line towards
Fetești. Construction continued after 1998, the motorway being completed in late 2012. The sector from Bucharest to Fetești crosses the
Bărăgan Plain and was built between 2001 and 2007. It was split into four sections. The first section from Bucharest to
Fundulea (26.5 km) was built by the Romanian company Romis and is surfaced with
concrete slabs. The second section from Fundulea to Lehliu (29.2 km) was built by a Turkish joint venture between Yuksel, Makimsar and Ener, while the third section from Lehliu to
Drajna (41.6 km) was built by the French company
Colas. The three sections were completed in 2004. The fourth, from Drajna to Fetești (36.8 km), was built by a joint venture between
Astaldi,
Max Bögl and
CCCF, and was completed in 2007, receiving financial support from the
ISPA funds. The sector from Cernavodă to Constanța (51.3 km) runs across the
Dobruja Plateau and was built between 2009 and 2012, receiving financial resources from the
European Union's
Cohesion Fund and from the
European Investment Bank. It was built by a joint venture between
Astaldi and
Max Bögl, and was completed in late 2012. The section from Cernavodă to Medgidia was initially awarded to the French company
Colas, but the contract was terminated in April 2011, because of delays in the construction process. It was subsequently awarded to the new constructor in September 2011. The total distance between
Bucharest and
Constanța on the motorway is approximately 206 km. It includes a 3.8 km link segment at the eastern end, that was part of the construction contract for the
A4 motorway, which serves as the
Constanța bypass. It has seven exits and ten rest areas on each carriageway, six being served by
filling stations. There is one toll gate along the route, at
Fetești (km 144), where a tax is charged for crossing the Danube bridges. During summer, heavy traffic (maximum permissible weight over 7.5 t) is forbidden to drive on the motorway on weekends (including Friday) at daylight hours (from 6 A.M. to 12 A.M.). ==Openings timeline==