Former Regional Development Minister Nikolay Nankov launched an ironic criticism of Regional Development Minister Ivan Shishkov over the traffic jams on the Hemus motorway and the delayed repairs to the bypass route through the Arabakonak Pass.
“Shishkov’s horoscope for the traffic jams on Hemus is a bad one,” Nankov wrote on Facebook. His comment was prompted by the 20-day deadline announced by Shishkov, within which the road through Arabakonak was supposed to be made suitable for traffic.
“The 20 days have almost passed, and the repairs have not even begun,” Nankov said. He accused the minister of failing to keep his promise and claimed that people would not forget the delays on the motorway.
Repairs to the Topli Dol Tunnel led to restrictions on traffic along the Hemus motorway and serious difficulties in the area. On October 21, the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works announced that the municipal road through Arabakonak would be repaired as a temporary bypass, weather permitting. BTA reported that the contractors had committed to preparing the route within 20 days.
According to the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, geodetic measurements were to be carried out for the repairs, while the Road Infrastructure Agency and the municipalities of Botevgrad and Gorna Malina were to sign an agreement on the construction work. Meanwhile, heavy goods traffic was being redirected along alternative routes through the Petrohan Pass and the Iskar Gorge.
Nankov linked the problems with traffic management to a lack of advance planning. This is a political assessment by the former minister, while the deadline announced by the MRDPW for the repairs at Arabakonak had been set on the condition of suitable weather.
Sources: faktor.bg, bta.bg, btvnovinite.bg