Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Ivan Shishkov criticized the lack of reaction from the prosecutor's office to signals of violations in the road sector, which, according to him, were filed during the caretaker governments.
„As a deputy minister and as a minister in caretaker governments, I have repeatedly filed signals about abuses in the road sector. They are clearly described, and some of them, figuratively speaking, are measured with a ruler. The question is why then no one reacted“, said Shishkov in response to a question from Nova TV.
According to him, the current legal claims against the “Road Infrastructure“ Agency cannot erase the responsibility for the problems accumulated in previous years. “Why weren't the claims filed earlier? Why didn't anyone comment then that there were no highways and that the asphalt was thinner? Today everyone is talking about the problems, but they didn't appear yesterday. How inconvenient is this government and to whom? To those who stole“, pointed out the minister.
According to him, the current criticism of the state of the road infrastructure comes precisely from the people who are responsible for it. “Of course, there is a heavy legacy in the road infrastructure. But this problem weighs on the conscience of those who created it. What we are seeing now is a simple PR stunt by those responsible for the road accident in Bulgaria“, said Shishkov.
The minister also commented on the intention of some of the future highway projects to be implemented through concessions. He was categorical that this only concerns new roads that are yet to be built. “No already built highways will be put up for concession. We are talking about roads that are yet to be designed and built. The state does not have the financial capacity to build all future highways on its own“, he explained.
According to him, the state will prepare the projects, develop detailed development plans, carry out the expropriation procedures and then select a concessionaire. “We will prepare the projects, alienate the necessary land and find an investor to build the road, and then operate and maintain it within the framework of the concession agreement“, said Shishkov.
He stressed that the country faces the task of designing and building about 800 kilometers of highways, some of which will most likely be implemented through a concession model. “We are about to design and start construction of nearly 800 kilometers of highways. Some of them will probably be built through concessions, and the rest will have to be financed from the republican budget“, said the minister.
Among the priority projects, he singled out the “Black Sea“ highway, which according to the government concept should not only connect Burgas and Varna. “Our vision is a “Black Sea“ highway to start from the border with Romania and reach Malko Tarnovo. Only then will it have real transport and economic sense“, said Shishkov.
The minister also announced that work is also underway on the idea of building a new border checkpoint near Malko Tarnovo, but stressed that before talking about financing, there must be a ready project. “First there must be a project. This is the right investment process – first we know what we are going to build, how much it will cost and only then we provide the funds. Not the other way around“, he pointed out.
Shishkov criticized the practice of promising funds without ready project documentation. “The investment process is not political chewing gum. It requires projects, a concept and a clear assessment of the value. "We cannot say how much something that has not yet been designed will cost," the minister said.
According to him, at the moment there is no ready project for the entire route of the "Black Sea" motorway, and there is only a preliminary design for the section between Burgas and Varna. "When we talk only about the Burgas - Varna section, the wrong impression is created that this is the entire project. The real meaning of the "Black Sea" motorway is to connect two state borders. Only then will it fulfill its strategic and economic role," Ivan Shishkov concluded.