About 1300 km of road routes will be designed in 2027, with approximately 770 km of them being strategic sections. For them, the design and approval of the detailed development plans must be completed within the year, announced the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Ivan Shishkov.
“The main deficit in Bulgaria over the years has been the lack of comprehensive design of highways and expressways“, said Shishkov.
The goal is for the design documentation for large routes to be prepared to a stage that allows for the search for a public-private partnership. For other sites, financing will be sought under the European TEN-T network or through state investments. The minister did not specify specific amounts from the budget for the road projects, specifying that they will be presented by the Minister of Finance.
Priorities for highways and expressways
Among the strategic directions is the Ruse - Makaza highway with a length of 152 km. The Ruse - Byala section with the Byala bypass is currently being built. For another 58 km, approval of a detailed development plan and search for a concessionaire are aimed, and for the remaining 94 km, the “Road Infrastructure“ Agency is preparing a task for a conceptual design, a detailed development plan and an environmental impact assessment.
Another priority is the Montana - Sofia expressway with a tunnel under Petrohan. The route is about 100 km, and procedures for environmental impact assessment and route selection are being carried out. Completion of the detailed development plan and expropriation procedures are planned in order to seek a concession.
For the "Black Sea" highway with a total length of 275 km, the Burgas - Varna section, which is 116 km, is at the stage of environmental impact assessment procedures and route selection. The Varna - Durankulak and Burgas - Malko Tarnovo routes, 90 and 69 km respectively, should be combined into a common project for the purpose of comprehensive concession.
A 107 km section of the "Rila" motorway is being designed, and work is underway to approve a detailed development plan for the 67 km long Dupnitsa - Gyueshevo section. The Vratsa - Montana expressway is 44 km long, and the Vratsa - 15 km. Other planned connections include Ruse – Shumen, Plovdiv – Smolyan and four-lane routes to Lesovo from the „Trakia“ and „Maritsa“ highways.
Which projects can be completed in 2027?
Projects with advanced construction that can be completed in 2027 are the Mezdra – Botevgrad expressway and sections of the Vidin – Montana direction. No new section is expected to be completed during the year for the „Hemus“ highway. The reasons are the backlog in lot 2 and the suspended work on lots 4, 5 and 6, where plans are being revised and legal issues need to be resolved.
The focus also remains on the ring roads of Sofia and Plovdiv. For the 6-kilometer section of the Sofia Ring Road to the future children's hospital, a detailed development plan is ready, the expropriation procedures are being finalized and an engineering assignment is being prepared. On the Plovdiv Ring Road, the section to the “Trakia“ motorway is about 2.66 km long and is moving towards construction, while for the “Southern Arc“ Environmental impact assessment procedures are still lacking.
40 water and sanitation facilities are also planned
In 2027, 40 water and sanitation facilities are planned for design and construction in the country. According to Deputy Minister Pavleta Pelovska, around 47 million euros are expected to be allocated for pre-project and pre-investment studies and for the design of water supply pipes and new facilities.
The funds are for facilities outside Annex 3. Municipalities that have contracts and signed agreements for the replacement of water and sanitation infrastructure will receive funding under the municipal program.
Sources: bta.bg