A new section of the M3 national highway, which bypasses the village of Slobozia Mare in the Cahul District, was opened to traffic in Moldova on July 27. The approximately 16.6-kilometer section of the highway is designed to handle heavy truck traffic heading to Moldova’s only seaport. The project cost 11.1 million euros, with funding provided with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The opening ceremony for the M3 highway section in Slobozia Mare was attended by Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development Vladimir Bolea, Speaker of Parliament Igor Grosu, representatives of the National Road Administration, local authorities, and the companies that carried out the construction and supervision work. According to Vladimir Bolea, the construction of the bypass road in Slobozia Mare is a strategic investment for the south of the country, as it modernizes the M3 transport corridor, improves access to the port of Giurgiulești, and enhances one of the key border crossing points for international freight transport. The new road will divert transit traffic away from the villages of Slobozia Mare and Giurgiulești, home to about 4,000 people, thereby reducing heavy truck traffic, noise levels, and air pollution. At the same time, the road will provide carriers with a faster and more predictable route to the Giurgiulești–Galați border crossing and the Port of Giurgiulești. According to experts, using the new bypass road will reduce travel time by approximately 10 minutes. Based on calculations by the National Road Administration, the new section will serve about 2,100 vehicles daily, including at least 260 heavy-duty trucks. // July 27, 2026 – InfoMarket.