Passing through Vladaia is dangerous because of the diverted traffic during the repair of the Sofia–Pernik road. The repair work began on November 4 and is expected to continue for around 20 days, the Bulgarian National Radio reported.
Some of the traffic is being redirected through the village, while heavy goods vehicles are not allowed on the detour route. However, the route passes over a bridge and near a school. Vladaia Mayor Tsvetanka Zdravkova warns that the structure is compromised, while a project for it has already been awaited for two years.
„It is one thing for 1,000 cars to pass through, and quite another for 50,000 to pass through,“ Tsvetanka Zdravkova said.According to the mayor, during previous incidents on the main road, traffic was also diverted through Vladaia, but only briefly. She does not rule out the possibility that the repair work could last longer than the announced approximately 20 days because of the weather conditions and the expected snowfall.
The route has been secured; an inspection of the bridge is forthcoming
Anton Nikolov, who is responsible for ongoing repairs in Sofia Municipality, said that the routes through Vladaia had been secured before the traffic was redirected. According to him, the small potholes have been repaired.
„Regarding the bridge, after this repair is completed, an inspection will be carried out to determine what problems there are with the structures,“ Nikolov said.Dragichevo Mayor Viktor Viktorov insists that, in the case of similar repairs, funds should be allocated in advance to restore the road network in the populated areas through which traffic is diverted. According to him, the mayors of small settlements are left to bear the residents’ dissatisfaction, even though they do not control traffic management.
Repair of the remaining section has also been promised
Former Regional Development Minister Nikolay Nankov said that the repair was beginning under a winter maintenance regime and that 2 kilometers were being repaired because of 200 meters. The Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works said that the urgent work was necessary because of the risk of road accidents.
The ministry promised that the remaining part of the section would be repaired in the spring. Until the ongoing repair is completed, drivers must comply with the temporary traffic arrangements and take into account the traffic load on the detour route through Vladaia.
Sources: bnrnews.bg