The republican road conditions in the country remain extremely dynamic. New serious restrictions have been introduced due to emergency repairs and weather incidents on key arteries. Traffic police, fire brigade and mountain rescuers are calling on citizens to be extra careful throughout the day.
Urgent repairs and new measures of the RIA today
According to the official bulletin of the Agency “Road Infrastructure“ (api.bg), in the time range from 09:00 to 18:00 today, August 25, traffic will be temporarily reorganized around the 6th km of AM „Hemus“ in Sofia region. The reason is the installation of counting cameras, and the overtaking and middle lanes in both directions will be closed in stages. Additionally, from km 15 to 19 in the direction of Varna, manholes are being cleaned, narrowing the overtaking lane.
The remaining major repair activities and closures at the moment are:
- Road I-6 Sofia – Burgas: Until August 28, horizontal markings will be installed in the section between the village of Mirkovo and the border with the Plovdiv region (from 133rd to 216th km) from 08:00 to 17:00. Cars will pass in the free lane.
- Road II-62 Samokov – Dupnitsa: Asphalt patching activities are being carried out from km 0 to km 29. Traffic is being allowed to pass in one lane between 06:00 and 17:00.
- Road I-1 Blagoevgrad – Kulata (Strumyani district): Traffic is temporarily restricted in both directions due to a flooded roadway. A bypass route has been introduced: from Kresna station along the Struma motorway to Strumyani station and back.
- Road I-1 Simitli – Kresna (km 388): The passage is limited to one lane in both directions due to a landslide, with traffic being regulated on site by the “Traffic Police“.
Intense traffic at the borders (Border Checkpoints)
The General Directorate of the “Border Police“ reports increased traffic at the Bulgarian-Turkish and Bulgarian-Serbian borders. On The border checkpoint “Kapitan Andreevo“ has a serious accumulation of passenger cars at the entrance to Bulgaria, with the situation further complicated by the ongoing large-scale renovation of the checkpoint to expand its capacity.
At the GKP “Kalotina“, intense traffic is observed in both directions. At the remaining border crossings with Romania, the Republic of North Macedonia and Greece, crossings are taking place normally and without significant delays as of 06:55.
Traffic Police Summary: Accidents and incidents in 24 hours
The black statistics on the roads continue to worsen. The Traffic Police data as of The Ministry of Internal Affairs (mvr.bg) for the past 24 hours indicates the following balance of accidents in the country:
- Severe crashes: 25 recorded incidents.
- Citizens killed: 5 people lost their lives.
- Injured: Over 30 people have been hospitalized with various injuries.
Traffic police teams remain mobilized on the main routes and are carrying out massive checks for speed and alcohol/drug use.
Fire Department Summary: Fires extinguished
The “Fire Safety and Population Protection“ Directorate reports an extremely difficult day and night due to the dry weather. Firefighters responded to 170 accident reports across the country.
A total of 126 fires have been completely extinguished by the teams in the last 24 hours. 25 of them caused material damage, including in residential and auxiliary buildings. The large forest fire in the Vratsa region (between the villages of Tlacene and Gabare), where the fire burned nearly 8,000 acres of land, has been completely contained and localized. In the fires over the past 24 hours, 1 citizen died.
Conditions for mountain tourism
The Mountain Rescue Service (MSS) reports that conditions for mountain tourism in the morning hours are relatively good, but the weather in the higher parts of Rila, Pirin and Stara Planina remains unstable.
Local cloudiness and short-term showers with thunderstorms are expected in the afternoon. Rescuers advise tourists not to undertake hikes on the high peaks in the afternoon hours and to always move with fully charged mobile phones and appropriate equipment.