This is an ordinary intercity road – it is not a motorway and it is not an expressway, Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Violeta Komitova said on the occasion of the inspection of the Dragichevo-Dolna Dikanya section where 45 people died. She did not know that this stretch was not a motorway. Komitova told „NOVA“:
„With the naked eye we all see a wide, beautiful road. But with the naked eye, we cannot feel the bumps in the road. The inspection of the fatal section of Struma Motorway after last Tuesday’s crash took a week. Such checks take a long time. Unfortunately we have to do them regularly, but because of the tragic occasion we had to carry out an urgent check. I am very sad that we have to talk about the crash, and I’d like to express my condolences again to the families of the victims.“
The Minister of Regional Development and Public Works pointed out that the road does not have Act 16 because the expropriation procedures have not been completed. According to her, by design this is the E79 road and it has a maximum speed limit of 90 km/h.
According to Komitova, road inspection should be a systematic process that takes into account dangerous areas and places with defects that should be repaired and rehabilitated. The mandrel in the fatal section was within the standards in which it was installed. She explained:
„There are signs for a drinking fountain, a speed sign that may have fallen down months ago – I can’t say what’s in place. RIA has taken action to rebuild the kerb. Our biggest weakness, however, is marking. Only the centerline is laid.“
