Romania's: An earlier opening for the sky‑high path

This is one of the most extraordinary routes in the world. You can drive on it, but only for a few weeks each year. It winds at an altitude of over 2,000 metres (approximately 6,560 feet) above sea level and poses significant dangers. This year, it will open earlier than usual.

The iconic Transfăgărășan Road, traversing the Făgăraș Mountains in Romania - the tallest range in the Southern Carpathians, is set to open sooner this year, thanks to favourable weather conditions and minimal snowfall compared to previous years – reports the Digi24 portal. The road typically opens on July 1.

- Work on clearing the Transfăgărășan Road has begun. Currently, efforts are focused on areas without the risk of avalanches, and operations proceed only when weather conditions permit safe work. Given the reduced snowfall this year, we anticipate that this stunning route will be accessible before the usual July 1 opening date – the regional road administration in Brașov County has announced.

The Transfăgărășan is the second-highest paved road in Romania, second only to the Transalpina (which peaks at 2,145 metres [about 7,037 feet] at Urdele Pass). The route through the Făgăraș Mountains stretches across Argeș and Sibiu counties. At its zenith near Bâlea Lake, it ascends to 2,042 metres (around 6,699 feet) above sea level.

The road spans 151 kilometres (roughly 94 miles). It links the village of Bascov in Muntenia (in eastern Wallachia) with Cârțișoara in Transylvania, slicing through the Făgăraș Mountains' main ridge from south to north between their two loftiest peaks: Moldoveanu and Negoiu. The road's northern section is especially breathtaking.

This magnificent mountain pass, laden with viaducts and tunnels, is mainly closed throughout the year due to adverse weather conditions. Even during the open season, a speed limit of 40 km/h (about 25 mph) is enforced because of the challenging hairpin bends.

Tourists are cautioned that bears frequently wander onto the road. Despite official warnings against it, people still feed the bears, leading to dangerous situations where the animals lose their fear of humans. There are numerous instances of tourists feeding bears from their cars or getting dangerously close to them for photographs or videos.

The Transfăgărășan was constructed in the early 1970s at the behest of Nicolae Ceaușescu, the Romanian communist leader, marking it as one of his most grandiose endeavours. The road's construction resulted in the loss of several dozen lives. Ceaușescu's push for this strategically located passage stemmed from his paranoia following the USSR's invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968.

Seeking a secure route between military bases on either side of the mountains, Ceaușescu commissioned the Transfăgărășan. At that time, Romania's existing routes through the Southern Carpathians were predominantly river-adjacent and easily obstructable.