European route E79

E79
Route information
Length:	1,300 km (800 mi)
Major junctions
North end:	Miskolc (Hungary)
South end:	Thessaloniki (Greece)
Location
Countries:	Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece
Highway system
International E-road network

Construction of two-way tunnel on Route E79 in Greece (Completed)

E79 in Bulgaria (motorway stretch)

E79 in Bulgaria (non-motorway stretch)

European route E 79 is a road part of the International E-road network. It begins in Miskolc, Hungary and ends in Thessaloniki, Greece, also running through Romania and Bulgaria. The road is 1,300 km (810 mi) long.

Route overview

The road follows the route:

Country	Route	Designations
Hungary	Miskolc – Debrecen – Berettyóújfalu
Romania	Oradea – Beiuș – Deva – Petroșani – Târgu Jiu – Craiova – Calafat
Bulgaria	Vidin – Vratsa – Botevgrad – Sofia – Pernik – Blagoevgrad – Kulata
Greece	Promachonas – Serres – Thessaloniki

Route description

Hungary

The Hungarian section of E79 shares parts of its path with other E-roads, such as E60, E573 and E71.^[1]

Romania

The Romanian section of the road is mostly under construction, as can be seen on the map with Romanian road quality.^[2] Although only in the region of 500 km (310 mi) the road itself is single carriageway except in major towns. With little or no room for overtaking, a 50 km/h (31 mph) restriction when passing through the many minor villages, and a great number of slow vehicles, the average speed is generally in the low 50 km/h range.

Since 2007, the year of Romania's accession to the European Union, work has begun to improve the quality of this road:

• Oradea – Deva [bad, under construction]: The road is under construction. Expect bumps in the road, traffic lights and delays. As of the 25 August the Oradea to Deva road is very bad with the last part Brad to Deva impassable for most vehicles. It requires an over 120 km detour which is not marked but is a very picturesque drive through mountains and many hairpins. This should not be designated an E road until repairs are completed as there are (we are told) much better routes. The repairs involve, at least, 20 long single lane traffic light controlled sections which are very slow indeed. Do NOT drive on this route. Repairs are underway slowly and should be scaled up.

A contract was signed on 30 January 2012 to improve this section, with the joint venture CCCF Drumuri și Poduri Timișoara–CO.GE.FA S.p.A.–Simco SRL. Contract value: 36.6 million euro. Financing sources: 50% from the state budget, 50% loaned from the European Investment Bank. Works on this section began, as of August 2012.^[3] The rehabilitation of this section of the road was expected to be finished by the end of 2014.^[4] In December 2014, more than 60% of this section was still under construction (expected to continue until autumn-winter 2015). On the 4th of December 2013, the Romanian Ministry for European Funds sent to the European Commission a request to evaluate the financing of this sector, for a total of 210 million Euro (of which 142 million Euro from the EU through the ERDF mechanism).^[5]

• Deva – Petroșani [good, done]: The road has been significantly improved in the last years, being widened and having excellent asphalt quality on the entire section of the road (construction finished in 2012).
• Petroșani – Bumbești Jiu [average, under construction]: This section should be considered as an under construction. Conditions have partially improved in late 2015 ^[6] (due to rehabilitation work done by Copisa Constructora Pirenaica–Chirulli Andrea Impresa Individuale–Coremi Inter joint venture - 34 mil. euro contract, signed in 29 June 2012). The southern half of the route is in good condition (good asphalt, traffic signs, jersey blocks to block possible fall into the valley). The north half is mostly 1st layer of asphalt. While the road looks and feels much better compared to previous years, there may still be traffic lights and work on the road starting in the spring of 2016 (during the winter all work is stopped). Works on this section were expected to take around two years, and were expected to be finished by the end of 2014. In December 2015, the section was still under construction on about 50% of its length, and should be considered as such until summer-autumn 2016. On the 29th of November 2013, the Romanian Ministry for European Funds sent to the European Commission a request to evaluate the financing of this sector, for a total of 396 million Euro (of which 288 eligible for EU funds, of which 244 million Euro from the EU through the ERDF mechanism).^[7]
• Bumbești Jiu – Craiova [good, minor construction work]: The section Bumbești Jiu – Rovinari is in good condition, almost completely rehabilitated (rehabilitation work by Asocierea Comsa S.A.U. - Corporate Management Solution SRL, 117 mil. RON, 85% FEDR + 15% National funds, 90% done in January 2016 according to the national roads company ^[8]). The section Rovinari - Filiasi has been repaired in 2010, by FCC Construccion, and is currently in good condition. The section Filiași – Craiova is part of the DN6 road and is in good condition, also being repaired in 2010.
• Craiova – Calafat [under construction]: This section is currently under construction, and will be so until the end of 2016. In September 2015, the parts of the road closer to Craiova already had asphalt, while parts closer to the Danube were in various stages of construction.^[9] On the 6th of December 2013, the Romanian Ministry for European Funds sent to the European Commission a request to evaluate the financing of this sector, for a total of 73 million Euro (of which 47 million Euro from the EU through the ERDF mechanism).^[10]

Bulgaria

The Bulgarian section of E79 spans nearly 400 km (250 mi) from the North Bulgarian city of Vidin, connecting the Calafat–Vidin Bridge (or, alternatively, the Vidin-Calafat ferry line) across the Danube River and straight southwards towards Bulgaria's capital Sofia. The road has moderately good surface, it is constantly maintained and repaired and well signed with directing signs in Bulgarian and in English. Most of the length from Vidin to Botevgrad, the road is two-lane tarmac road following the natural relief of the landscape. There are sections where 3 lanes for overtaking slow-moving traffic are available. Rest stops and parking spots near the road are also available. The Bulgarian Traffic law prescribes a 50 km/h (31 mph) in most residential areas coinciding with the route of the road and not more than 90 km/h (56 mph) on the section of the road outside living areas. There are plans to upgrade Vidin-Botevgrad road to a grade separated expressway (close to motorway standard), allowing speeds up to 140 km/h (87 mph).

From Botevgrad to Sofia, E79 joins Hemus motorway, designated A2. At the Bulgarian capital Sofia you have to enter the Ring Road, until Sofia Northern Bypass motorway is built. Signage is available. From Sofia to south there are 52 km (32 mi) of motorways (A6 Lyulin motorway and A3 Struma motorway) to Dupnitsa-north interchange. The Bulgarian Traffic law allows speeds up to 140 km/h (87 mph) on motorways. Higher speed should not be attempted. The road is leading from Dolna Dikanya to south, right to the Kulata-Promachonas. All the way to the Border Check point the road is of the standard 2-lane tarmac except for the section from the Pernik Province-Blagoevgrad Province border and the southern entrance to the city of Blagoevgrad where the road is of highway type and is 8 km (5.0 mi) long. The remaining section from Dupnitsa to the border with Greece is to be upgraded to a motorway with planning being in the final phase. The section between Dupnitsa and Blagoevgrad, 37 km long, also is in construction and is scheduled to be completed in 2015. Also the last of these sections - lot 4 from Sandanski-south to the Greek border of 13 km opened to traffic in August 2015. The stretch between Blagoevgrad and Sandanski - lot 3 - passes through the Kresna Gorge and is planned to feature a 13.3 km (8.3 mi) tunnel, which will be the longest motorway tunnel in Eastern Europe, whose construction will begin in 2015 and will cost app. EUR 650 mln.

There are no restriction to trucks driving in the weekends (except when temps rise above 38 °C (100 °F)) so they pose additional road hazard particularly high when driving at night. Traffic is usually heavy in weekends and overtaking has to be done swiftly and without risk, minding the other participants in the traffic.

At night, motorcyclists are required (and that is strongly advisable for their own safety) to use high-visibility vests.

Greece

The Greek Section of E79 has a length of about 120 km (75 mi). After crossing the Bulgarian-Greek border entering into Greece, the road drastically improves as it has been upgraded to a motorway; and speeds of up to 120 km/h (75 mph) are common. After the Promachonas Border Checkpoint, there is a section in construction, about 20–30 km. After that the new 3 lane motorway is well managed, repaired and policed up to the city of Loutra Serron. Construction and upgrading works are still continuing near Serres (due to state budget cuts, works are not scheduled to complete before 2015). After Serres the 3 lane motorway continues for a further 60 km (37 mi) and finally ends at a large junction with the A2/E90, which then provides direct access with Thessaloniki's Ring Road motorway and onto Chalkidiki, for travellers heading south.

References

International E-road network
E01 E03 E04 E05 E06 E07 E08 E09 E10 E11 E12 E13 E14 E15 E16 E17 E18 E19 E20 E21 E22 E23 E24 E25 E26 E27 E28 E29 E30 E31 E32 E33 E34 E35 E36 E37 E38 E39 E40 E41 E42 E43 E44 E45 E46 E47 E48 E49 E50 E51 E52 E53 E54 E55 E56 E57 E58 E59 E60 E61 E62 E63 E64 E65 E66 E67 E68 E69 E70 E71 E72 E73 E74 E75 E76 E77 E78 E79 E80 E81 E82 E83 E84 E85 E86 E87 E88 E89 E90 E91 E92 E93 E94 E95 E96 E97 E98 E99 E101 E105 E115 E117 E119 E121 E123 E125 E127
E134 E136 E201 E231 E232 E233 E234 E251 E261 E262 E263 E264 E265 E271 E272 E311 E312 E313 E314 E331 E371 E372 E373 E391 E401 E402 E403 E404 E411 E420 E421 E422 E429 E441 E442 E451 E461 E462 E471 E501 E502 E511 E512 E531 E532 E533 E551 E552 E571 E572 E573 E574 E575 E576 E577 E578 E579 E581 E583 E584 E592 E601 E602 E603 E604 E606 E607 E611 E612 E641 E651 E652 E653 E661 E662 E671 E673 E675 E691 E692 E711 E712 E713 E714 E717 E751 E761 E762 E763 E771 E772 E773 E801 E802 E803 E804 E805 E806 E821 E840 E841 E842 E843 E844 E846 E847 E848 E851 E852 E853 E871 E881 E901 E902 E903 E931 E932 E933 E951 E952 E961 E962 E981 E982 E001 E002 E003 E004 E005 E006 E007 E008 E009 E010 E011 E012 E013 E014 E015 E016 E017 E018 E019