Roads in Moldova

As of 2021, there are no segments of motorway (Romanian: Autostradă) that are officially open. The first motorway-class road in Moldova is planned to be the Chișinău - Cimișlia motorway, which is to be assigned "M3". Works on what could be the first motorway began in the 80s (under Soviet rule), but began to slow down after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, stopping in 1996 with the Chișinău - Porumbrei segment (32 km or 20 mi) open only on one carriageway. Works on what could eventually become the first motorway in Moldova resumed in 2019.[4]

Thus, it can be said that Moldova has de facto 32 km (20 mi) of motorway in service, but de jure the Chișinău - Porumbrei segment doesn't count as a motorway, with plans calling for the Chișinău - Cimișlia road to receive motorway status only after works are finished.[4]

In 2018, a second motorway route in Moldova (Ungheni - Chișinău - border with Ukraine toward Odessa) was proposed as a continuation of Romania's A8 motorway to the east (est. 100 km or 62 mi long), and thus of the future motorway corridor Iași–Cluj-Napoca–Budapest–Vienna–Munich.[5] In 2021, it had been proposed by the IDEP that the motorway segment between Chișinău and the Romanian border become a "national priority" for Moldova.[6]

National roads in Moldova are divided into two categories: magistral roads (Romanian: Drumuri magistrale) and republican roads (Romanian: Drumuri republicane).[1] Magistral roads mainly serve as connections to road networks of neighboring countries, those of Romania and Ukraine. Republican roads serve as connections between places in Moldova, but may also reach the border.[1] All magistral roads start or pass through the capital city of Chișinău, with the exception of the M4.[7]

M1 highway

Main article: M1 highway (Moldova)

The M1 near Ulmu, Ialoveni District.

The M3 between Răzeni and Porumbrei.

The M14 near Negrești, at the intersection with local road L443.

The M1 links Chișinău to the Romanian capital of Bucharest and further Romanian cities via the Leușeni-Albița border checkpoint. It is 97 km (60 mi) long.[7]

List

Some intersections between Moldovan trunk roads use interchanges, like here at the M2-R14 junction. This is common in former Soviet states.

List of magistral roads[7]

Number	Route	Length
		km	mi
M1	Chișinău – Leușeni → Romania	97	60
M2	Chișinău – Orhei – Soroca → Ukraine	155	96
M2.1	M2 – Cosăuți	3.5	2.2
M3	Chișinău – Cimișlia – Comrat – Vulcănești → Romania	217	135
M3.1	M3 – Comrat East	4.3	2.7
M4	Tiraspol – Dubăsari – Rîbnița – Hristovaia → Ukraine	178	111
M14	Ukraine → Edineț – Bălți – Chișinău – Tiraspol → Ukraine	370	230
M21	Chișinău – Dubăsari → Ukraine	60	37
Total		1,085	671

List of republican roads[7]

Number	Route	Length
		km	mi
R1	Chișinău – Strășeni – Călărași – Ungheni → Romania	118	73
R2	Chișinău – Tighina	60	37
R3	Chișinău – Hîncești – Cimișlia → Ukraine	98	61
R4	Chișinău – Criuleni – Dubăsari	32	20
R5	Chișinău – Dorotcaia	32	20
R6	Ialoveni – Dumbrava	6	3.7
R7	Romania → Rîșcani – Drochia – Soroca	101	63
R8	Edineț – Corbu – Otaci → Ukraine	55	34
R9	Otaci – Soroca	40	25
R10	Ruseni – Ocnița	19	12
R11	Briceni – Ocnița	35	22
R12	Bălți Airport – Drochia – Corbu	63	39
R13	Bălți – Florești – Rîbnița	52	32
R14	Bălți – Sîngerei – Sărătenii Vechi	66	41
R15	Bălți – Glodeni	30	19
R16	Bălți – Fălești – Sculeni → Romania	49	30
R17	Fălești – Pîrlița	32	20
R18	Sîngerei – Florești	45	28
R19	Pohoarna – Sănătăuca	31	19
R20	Călărași – Orhei – Rîbnița	114	71
R21	Răciula – Hîrjauca	11	6.8
R22	Meleșeni – Telenești – Ratuș	29	18
R23	Ivancea – Criuleni	34	21
R24	Strășeni – Căpriana	11	6.8
R25	Bucovăț – Nisporeni – Bărboieni	46	29
R26	Cimișlia – Căușeni – Bender – Tiraspol	103	64
R27	Tiraspol – Corotna – Pervomaisc	49	30
R28	Hlinaia – Răscăieții Noi	18	11
R29	Răzeni – Bender	58	36
R30	Chetrosu – Căușeni – Ștefan Vodă → Ukraine	95	59
R31	Căușeni → Ukraine	18	11
R32	Chetrosu – Sălcuța	51	32
R33	Hîncești – Lăpușna – Leușeni	36	22
R34	Hîncești – Cantemir – Cahul – Slobozia Mare	168	104
R35	Comrat – Basarabeasca	26	16
R36	Taraclia – Basarabeasca	61	38
R37	Ceadîr-Lunga – Comrat – Cantemir	81	50
R38	Taraclia – Cahul – Vulcănești	72	45
R40	Biruința – Chetrosu	31	19
R41	Rîșcani – Glodeni	19	12
R42	Ungheni – Bărboieni	33	21
R44	Călărași – Ciuciuleni – Hîncești	65	40
R45	Edineț – Pîrjota	24	15
R46	Cuporani – Iargara	10	6.2
R47	Cimișlia – Sărata Nouă	39	24
R49	Basarabeasca → Ukraine	4	2.5
R50	Dubăsari – Criuleni	6	3.7
R51	Otaci – Ocnița	26	16
R52	Tudora – Palanca	14	8.7
R53	Glodeni – Cobani	19	12
R54	Cunicea – Soloneț	30	19
R55	Briceni → Ukraine	3	1.9
R56	Cantemir – Tartaul de Salcie	48	30
R57	Fălești – Costești	59	37
R59	Bulboaca – Delacău	29	18
Total		2,504	1,556

In Moldova, local roads mainly serve as links between district administrative centers and villages/communes located in the specific district, as well as between one village/commune and another.[1] They are maintained by the appropriate local authorities depending on their location, previously being maintained by the national state-owned company Administrația de Stat a Drumurilor (ASD) until 2017. Since then, the ASD solely maintains national roads, with the exception of those located in Transnistria.[2]

European routes (E-roads) passing through the Republic of Moldova:[7]

• Class A:
  • E58: (Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania) - Ungheni - Călărași - Chișinău - Tiraspol - (Ukraine, Russia)
  • E87: (Ukraine) - Palanca - (Ukraine) - Giurgiulești - (Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey)
• Class B:
  • E581: (Romania) - Leușeni - Chișinău - Tiraspol - (Ukraine)
  • E583: (Romania) - Sculeni - Bălți - Edineț - Otaci - (Ukraine)
  • E584: (Ukraine) - Dubău - Dubăsari - Chișinău - Cimișlia - Comrat - Giurgiulești - (Romania)

As an autonomous territory with limited recognition as an independent state, the authorities of Transnistria, which is internationally recognized as part of Moldova, have complete control of all road segments that pass through the breakaway territory. The M4 highway, which crosses Transnistria on the north–south reference, is in complete control of Transnistria, as well as parts of M14 and M21, and many segments of republican and local roads. The complete length of the Transnistrian road network totals 1,070 km (660 mi).[2]

• Media related to Roads in Moldova at Wikimedia Commons