Construction of the Iași – Chișinău – Odesa Highway: A New Step Toward Regional Integration

Construction has officially begun in Moldova on the Iași – Chișinău – Odesa international highway, one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in Eastern Europe.
According to Nokta, the €1.2 billion project will create more than 320 km of modern road connecting Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine into a single transport and logistics corridor.

The bridge over the Prut River in Ungheni is already under construction and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. This marks the first stage of the project linking Iași and Chișinău.
The second stage will extend the highway southeast toward Ukraine and Odesa. At this stage, pre-feasibility studies are underway, with experts evaluating three possible route options. The technical and economic feasibility study is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

“It is crucial for the highway to reach Odesa – this will open new opportunities for southern Moldova and Ukrainian Bessarabia, home to millions of people,” emphasized Minister Iulian Bolea.

Comment by the Institute of Danube Research:

The Institute of Danube Research notes that the Iași – Chișinău – Odesa highway is not only an infrastructure initiative but also an integration project that strengthens transport connectivity across the Danube–Black Sea macro-region.
The new route will complement the TEN-T network and form a vital axis of the emerging EU – Moldova – Ukraine Eastern Corridor, directly linking the Port of Odesa with Romanian logistics hubs such as Iași, Galați, and Constanța.

For southern Moldova, Ukrainian Bessarabia, and the Greater Odesa agglomeration, this project opens new prospects for cross-border clusters, trade logistics, tourism, and local community development along the corridor.
It will also provide opportunities to attract funding from EU instruments such as the Connecting Europe Facility, Interreg NEXT Romania–Moldova–Ukraine, and the Ukraine Facility.

“Transport integration is a key driver of sustainable regional development. The Iași – Chișinău – Odesa highway could become part of a new spatial axis connecting the Baltic, Black, and Danube regions,” emphasized experts from the Institute of Danube Research.