The emergency replacement of damaged guardrails on the roads has already begun, and the “Road Infrastructure“ Agency is preparing an analysis of the places where the problems are most serious. This was stated by the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Ivan Shishkov in the building of the Haskovo Regional Administration, quoted by Nova TV.
“The replacement of the guardrails began five, seven-eight days ago“, the minister pointed out. According to him, work will first be done on the sections where the condition of the restraint systems creates an immediate risk.
Shishkov gave the example of the “Maritsa“ highway, where, according to him, there are at least 15 places with guardrails, destroyed in accidents and not subsequently restored.
The minister explained that after the termination of a public procurement for guardrails, another legal mechanism had to be found to carry out the emergency activities. The state company “Motorways“ is being used for this purpose.
According to him, it already has equipment and is buying guardrails at lower prices. In parallel, a working group in the MRDPW is analyzing the current rules for road restraint systems. “I await the results of this working group to understand whether there is lobbying or not“, said Shishkov.
He also announced that he will ask the RIA and “Automagistrali“ to publish a program with the specific locations and schedule for replacing the facilities.
“The Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works will intensify inspections of construction sites when there are signals or suspicions of problems. The control will not be limited to the way in which public procurements were carried out, but will also cover the quality of the implementation itself“, Shishkov also announced.
According to him, the main goal is for public and European funds to lead to real results and quality construction, and not simply to be absorbed. “The inspection does not mean an inspection only of the public procurement itself, but also of the way in which it is implemented. The public procurement has two aspects - one is the way in which the company won it, and the other is how the construction is carried out,“ the minister explained.
He gave an example of the site he visited and for which he ordered an inspection - the “Atanas Sharenkov“ art gallery. According to him, it is an emblematic building - a monument of architecture, the restoration of which requires a high degree of professionalism in both the design and construction activities.
He admitted that what he saw on site raised doubts about the way in which the structural strengthening was carried out. “I am not embarrassed to say it. I have doubts about the way the structural reinforcement of the building was carried out, and that is why I want to carry out inspections“, said the minister.
According to him, with such a site it is particularly important that the reinforcement is done qualitatively and at the same time that the architectural appearance is preserved.
Shishkov specified that the department does not intend to automatically inspect all public procurement and construction sites in the country. However, there will be control wherever data, doubts or concerns about the method of implementation appear. “Wherever we believe there may be a problem, we start an inspection“, said the minister.
He stressed that an official signal will not always be necessary to start such an inspection. “Not only when there are signals, but also when there are any doubts and concerns“, explained Shishkov.
According to him, the scale of the inspections will depend on the results that the ministry establishes. “It does not mean that we will carry out mass inspections, but it may turn out that we will carry them out mass. It depends on the result“, said the regional minister.
Shishkov emphasized control during the construction itself, especially when the projects are financed with state or European funds.
“The main goal is when money is given - whether from the republican budget or from European funding - to achieve quality construction, to achieve the effect of what we give money for“, he said.
According to him, the philosophy must be changed from simple “absorption“ of funds to the search for a real social result. “This construction means investing money for the benefit of society. It does not mean spending any money“, the minister emphasized.
Another main topic of the briefing was the state of the water supply in the Haskovo region. Shishkov said that even before his meeting with the mayors in the region, he expected the water and sanitation sector to emerge as one of the most serious problems.
According to him, the difficulties are not limited to the quality of drinking water in Haskovo. Among the serious problems are the energy-intensive water supply, the use of pumping wells, the depreciated infrastructure and the difficult financial situation of the water supply company.“The problems are extremely numerous. In most cases, we have a very energy-intensive water supply, we have pumping wells in many places. This has also caused the situation in which the water supply company is in a very difficult financial situation“, said Shishkov.
He also pointed out cases of supply water pipes with a length of about 70 kilometers, which are in poor condition. “Better water sources, with shorter routes, need to be sought. We have 70 kilometers of water supply pipes in poor condition“, explained the regional minister.
According to Shishkov, for Haskovo we should not only look for individual temporary solutions, but a more comprehensive approach. The possible options will be analyzed together with the local authorities and specialists.
“For Haskovo we need to think more generally and we are doing this. Once we come up with a clear decision, we will do it together, including discussing it with the mayors, because they also know many of the problems locally," he said.
The minister indicated that various options have already been discussed, but refused to announce a specific decision before the necessary analyses and calculations have been made.
The regional minister assured that projects that are ready and meet the requirements will not be left without funding.
Shishkov also commented on the Ruse-Makaza highway project, which he defined as key for the transport connectivity of the country and the region. “We are already organizing, we are starting a comprehensive design of the entire highway“, he announced.
According to him, the government has set itself the goal within the mandate to advance the design and seek an external investor for the construction of the route.
When asked where funds will be found for such a large-scale infrastructure project with limited state resources, Shishkov said that the intention is to use a public-private partnership. According to the concept he presented, the project preparation must first be completed, and then an external investor must be attracted. According to him, the goal is to move the EIA procedures and the development of a detailed development plan for the route forward within about a year and a half.
Shishkov also announced that following a decision by the Council of Ministers, the department has already started payments to the municipalities. According to him, over 70 million were paid in about 20 days, and the amount could reach about 80 million euros.
The regional minister assured that funds will also be available for projects in the water and sanitation sector in Haskovo. He emphasized that after the funds are allocated, the ministry will also monitor the quality of implementation: “We will give the money and we will control it“.