Potholes and ruts in the area of the “Danube Bridge“ near Ruse are hindering the movement of heavy goods vehicles and creating a risk of damage to the trucks. The problem appears three months after the end of the facility's major repairs and affects both trucks entering and leaving Bulgaria.
In September alone, over 160,000 vehicles, including 40,158 heavy goods vehicles, left the country via the bridge. With this intense traffic, the poor condition of the pavement further slows down the crossing and can lead to accidents and additional costs for carriers.
“There are a lot of potholes, it's very bad. It needs repair. "Many ruts, many miracles," says driver Salim Salim.
Another driver, Emrah Hasanov, points out that partial repairs with gravel do not hold up in the rain. "When it rains from above, the water comes down, washes away the gravel again, and the holes are still big. It is impossible to drive through. It needs to be done urgently," he says.
The pavement has been checked urgently
Due to the problem in Ruse, an emergency inspection has been carried out by the institutions. The poor condition of the route also creates a risk of formation of columns of trucks, especially in the section at the exit from Bulgaria.
“Urgent repairs must be carried out within this or next month, because the holes in the pavement will open and become even larger during the autumn-winter period“, states the regional governor of Ruse, Lyubomir Vladimirov.
According to him, the situation is the most difficult at the exit from the country, where the main flow of heavy goods vehicles passes.
Targeted funding is needed
The “Customs“ agency is aware of the problem and is carrying out partial repairs to the pavement. The last such repair was made in April 2026.
The agency points out that the permanent solution is a major repair that would ensure better quality and a longer service life under intensive load. However, this requires targeted funding, which is currently not provided for in the institution's budget.
Actions have been taken to consider the issue of securing funds.
Sources: bntnews.bg