“The pegs in the Kresnen Gorge have an extraordinary effect on traffic safety, but they are there because we don’t have highways, and we don’t have them because nobody designed them.”
This was announced to by the Acting Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Arch. Ivan Shishkov. He noted that so far only about 870 km of highways have been built in Bulgaria.
By 2000, when the traffic was much less busy than now, about 324 km were built. In the last 10-12 years, 405 km or 19% of the required were built. According to arch. Shishkov the main problem for the slow construction is the lack of projects. The minister commented:
“Unfortunately, even if we have funds, since we don’t have projects, there is nothing to build. In the last 5-6 years, the design has been so backward that even if the state wants to invest in highways, there is nowhere.”
He was adamant that the state needs to make a shock bid for design because if we continue to build at this rate, it will take more than 30 years to complete the highways needed
Minister Shishkov commented that the numerous repairs on the roads show the poor construction in recent years. In his words, the 400 km of highways built in the last 10 years already need serious repair, such as the section from Trakia between Stara Zagora and Yambol. Another problem is the small and narrow autobahns, which lead to serious congestion. As an example, the minister pointed to the Trakia highway, on which the flow from Sofia to Burgas and Varna moves, and to the junction for the Maritsa highway and the one to Turkey, which actually means that there are cars for two highways.
“That’s why it’s narrow, the two lanes are not enough. Unfortunately, no one has foreseen this, nor taken measures to expand the route”, pointed out arch. Shishkov.
He recalled that while the viaducts were being repaired, no thought was given to their expansion. Arch. Shishkov said:
“It’s a waste of money. If the expansion of the highway starts now, the viaducts will be closed again, and it could have happened before that.”
That is why he expressed the opinion that funds for repairs should only be allocated after serious planning, otherwise chaos results.
“We have a clear example with AM Hemus – the construction illusion in the previous administration. It was designed to Veliko Tarnovo, but it is being built only to the junction with the Pleven-Lovech road”, said arch. Shishkov.
He informed that he had commissioned the Road Infrastructure Agency to urgently complete the design of the highway from Veliko Tarnovo to Bukhovtsi so that it could be built. This should also be done for the most important road link along the north-south axis – the Ruse – Veliko Tarnovo – Makasa line, crossing Stara Planina through a small tunnel in Prohoda na republika. Apart from the fact that the connection is important for the development of our country, it will also absorb a large part of the transit traffic. Minister Shishkov explained:
“We have already announced the highway from Ruse to Veliko Tarnovo as a national site, we have reviewed and approved the development plan for the route from Ruse to Byala and the bypass of Byala. These days we will approve the detailed development plan and start expropriating the necessary land. In 3-4 months, expropriation will be carried out, a technical project will be prepared to allow the construction of this important direction, which no one was talking about before.”
He emphasized that everything depends on the will of the state and the ruling parties, which must have a concept for the development of highways, because important projects are done only piecemeal.
The minister informed that traffic is expected to be opened tomorrow on a 3-kilometer section of the Struma highway between the junction for Bansko and the „Zheleznitsa“ tunnel. It will ease traffic. Next week, a 15-km section of the Hemus highway between Belokopitovo and Bukhovtsi will be put into operation.
“The sections will be released for traffic with Act 16, because we work responsibly and legally, not for PR actions”, noted arch. Shishkov.
The regional minister was adamant that the state will not be left without road maintenance in the winter:
“We are finishing the competitions, we have selected performers, next week we are signing contracts. This way we will have both road maintenance and winter cleaning.”
