Bucharest seeks €85M EU funding for AI‑driven traffic signal upgrade

The Bucharest City Hall has submitted a request for more than 85 million lei in non‑refundable EU funding to the Bucharest‑Ilfov Regional Development Agency. The money will finance the first phase of an intelligent traffic‑light system at 92 intersections and a radical modernisation of the city's Traffic Control Centre.

Each upgraded junction will be equipped with video cameras, road‑surface and pole‑mounted sensors, modern traffic‑directing automata and smart pedestrian buttons. An artificial‑intelligence platform will synchronise signals in real time, adjust cycle lengths according to traffic flow and give priority to buses and trolleybuses, aiming to reduce congestion, cut vehicle‑idle emissions and improve public‑transport reliability. Feasibility studies are already approved; a decision on the grant is expected within three months, after which design, tendering and a 14‑month implementation period will follow. The long‑term plan envisions expanding the system to cover all 540 signalised intersections in Bucharest.