Constantza
Road transportation network
Author: ARDELEANU KONSTANTIN
After 1878 the Romanian state also invested in the development of terrestrial transport infrastructure in the newly acquired province of Dobrudja. The most important roads are shortly presented below.
The national road Constanţa – Babadag – Tulcea
With a total length of 125 kilometres, it was completed in the 1880s. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was in a perfect state, being accessible in all seasons [1].
Constanţa – Ostrov
It started from the southern part of the city and crossed the entire province, from the sea to the Danube, thus having a great economic value. It was not completed at the beginning of the 20th century, thus out of its planned total length of 114.486 km only 48.469 km were paved [2]. By 1910 the road had 74.194 km paved, 7,689 km of embankments and 33.867 km of natural road [3].
Constanţa – Mangalia
It followed the Black Sea coast and was completely paved in the 1900s. It crossed through the resorts of “La Vii” at Techirghiol and the road had a total length of 44.2 km [4].
Constanţa – Cavaclar
It was a derivation of the Constanţa – Mangalia road, reaching to the village of Cavaclar. By 1904 out of a planned length of 49 km only 13.128 km were paved [5].
Constanţa – Anadolchioi
It served for the carriage of grain, so as to avoid carts coming from northern Dobrudja through the city. It had a length of 1.920 km, out of which only 0.734 km were completed in 1904 [6].
Constanţa – Mamaia
It was in execution at the beginning of the 20th century, having to be built on the dunes separating Lake Siutghiol from the sea, so as the get from the city to the resort of Mamaia. Its length was 12 kilometres [7].
Table 4.2.2_1
Roads starting from Constanţa [8]
|
Road |
Paved (km) |
To be paved (km) |
Total |
|
Constanţa – Tulcea |
125.000 |
– |
125.000 |
|
Constanţa – Ostrov |
48.469 |
66.017 |
114.486 |
|
Constanţa – Mangalia |
44.200 |
– |
44.200 |
|
Constanţa – Cavaclar |
13.128 |
36.122 |
49.250 |
|
Constanţa – Anadolchioi |
0.734 |
1.186 |
1.920 |
|
Constanţa – Mamaia |
– |
12.000 |
12.000 |
|
Constanţa – La Vii |
1.000 |
1.320 |
2.320 |
In 1904 there were in Constanţa County 345.320 km of road on a surface of 71,850 square kilometres, so that with an average of 50 meters of road for 1 square kilometre the county one of the most backwards in Romania [9]. Things greatly changed by 1910, when the county had, besides its part of the national road Constanţa – Tulcea, 720.123 km of vicinal and communal roads, out of which 437.730 km were completely paved. In 1909, for example, there were built 24.175 km of stone road [10].
[1] Marin Dobrogianu Ionescu, Dobrogia în pragul veacului al XX-lea. Geografia matematică, fisică, politică, economică şi militară (Bucharest: Ateliere Grafice I. V. Socec, 1904), 684–685.
[2]Ibid., 691–692.
[3]Expunerea situaţiei judeţului Constanţa pe anul 1910–1911, prezentată de I. T. Ghyka (Bucharest: Tip. şi Stabilimentul de Arte Grafice George Ionescu, 1910), 65–66.
[4] Ionescu, Dobrogia, 692.
[5]Ibid., 693.
[6]Ibid., 694.
[7]Ibid., 696.
[8]Ibid., 697; the situation for 1902 at Situaţiunea generală a judeţului Constanţa la începutul anului 1903. Expunere întocmită de Scarlat Vârnav (Constanţa: Tipografia Aurora, 1904), 97.
[9] Ionescu, Dobrogia, 696.
[10]Expunerea situaţiei județului Constanța pe anul 1910–1911, prezentată de I. T. Ghyka (Bucharest: Tipografia și Stabilimentul de Arte Grafice George Ionescu, 1910), 65.
References
Archival sources:
Serviciul Judeţean Constanţa al Arhivelor Naţionale (The National Archives, Constanţa Branch), Primăria municipiului Constanţa (The Municipality of Constanţa), files starting with 1878.
Bibliography:
Expunerea situaţiei judeţului Constanţa pe anul 1910–1911, prezentată de I. T. Ghyka [The Exposition of the Situation of the Constanţa County in 1910–1911, Presented by I. T. Ghyka] (Bucharest: Tip. Şi Stabilimentul de Arte Grafice George Ionescu, 1910).
Ionescu, M. D., Dobrogia în pragul veacului al XX-lea. Geografia matematică, fisică, politică, economică şi militară [Dobrudja at the Beginning of the 20th Century. Mathematical, Physical, Political, Economic and Military History] (Bucharest: Ateliere Grafice I. V. Socec, 1904).
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