Transport operators from the Belitsa and Yakoruda area staged a protest against the ban on trucks travelling on the main road to Velingrad. The restriction was introduced after one lane collapsed in the section about a week ago.
Cars can pass along a route beside the landslide, but this is not possible for heavy goods vehicles. A detour has been designated for them, extending the journey by more than 140 kilometers and increasing fuel costs for transport companies.
Transport operators demand removal of the sign
The drivers are calling for the restriction on trucks weighing more than 12 tonnes to be lifted. According to them, material has been piled up beside the landslide and heavy goods vehicles can pass through.
Mratsenkov clarified that he supports the ban when the road situation genuinely requires it, but believes that in this particular section it is unnecessary. In his words, passing beside the collapsed lane is now possible.
Another transport operator, Ibrahim Osmanov, said that the restriction was putting workers and transport companies in a difficult position. He claimed that police were confiscating the driving licences and removing the registration plates of trucks travelling through the closed section.
“Our demand for the time being is for the sign to be removed,” Osmanov said.No deadline announced for allowing trucks through
The collapse has made major road repairs necessary. A temporary route has been found for cars, but heavy goods traffic remains diverted along the detour. According to BNT, the Blagoevgrad Regional Road Administration has not committed to a deadline for restoring truck traffic.
Until the problem is resolved, transport operators will continue to use the longer route while the restriction on vehicles weighing more than 12 tonnes remains in force.
Sources: nova.bg, bntnews.bg