M3 highway (Moldova)

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M3 highway
Route information
Part of E87 / E584
Length193 km (120 mi)
217 km (135 mi) planned
Major junctions
From R 3 near Chișinău
Major intersections R 2 near Chișinău Airport
R 3 at Cimișlia
M 3.1 near Comrat
R 34 at Slobozia Mare
To DN2B at Giurgiulești; Romania
Location
CountryMoldova
DistrictsChișinău, Ialoveni, Cimișlia, Gagauzia, Taraclia, Cahul
Major citiesChișinău, Cimișlia, Comrat
Highway system

The M3 highway (Romanian: Drumul național M3) is a partially built[1][2] road in Moldova, which links Chișinău to the southern part of the country via Gagauzia. The road forms part of the European routes E87 and E584 and will have a total length of 217 km (135 mi) when completed.[3] The road passes through Cimișlia and Comrat before reaching its southern terminus, at the border tripoint at Giurgiulești, where it connects with Romania's DN2B and Ukraine's M15 highway, respectively.[4]

The combined length of the opened segments is 193 km (120 mi). The parts of the road currently in service include the Chișinău - Porumbrei segment (32 km) and the Cimișlia - Giurgiulești section (161 km).

Construction works on the Chișinău - Cimișlia section of the M3 began during Soviet rule in the 1980s. They began to slow down after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, and stopped in 1996, with only 32 km opened to traffic between Chișinău and Porumbrei. Works resumed in 2019, and the section is set to receive motorway status upon completion, thus making M3 the first motorway in Moldova.[2]

Near Comrat, there's a ramification of the M3 linking it to republican road R35; this road is designated the M3.1 and its total length is 4.3 km.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Gap on M3 between Porumbrei and Cimișlia" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
  2. ^ a b "(VIDEO) Drumul care trebuia să fie prima autostradă din Moldova: aşa arată în prezent construcţia porţiunii Porumbrei-Cimişlia". piataauto.md. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
  3. ^ "Route of M3" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
  4. ^ "M3 at Giurgiulești" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
  5. ^ "Route of M3.1" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to M3 highway (Moldova).
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    M3 highway between Chișinău and Porumbrei
  • M3 highway near Băcioi
    M3 highway near Băcioi