Due to the intense traffic, for years Rousse has been struggling with kilometer-long traffic jams caused by heavy trucks in the area of the "Danube Bridge" border crossing. There has long been talk of building a ferry connection between Ruse and Gyurghevo, which would ease traffic in the area, BNT recalls.
On the threshold of the summer season, the flow of Romanian tourists is expected to increase, and the transiting heavy trucks number thousands. Everyone hopes that the basic repair of the facility will begin very soon.
The ferry platform on the territory of Ruse is completed, but not yet operational. The reason is that Romania closed the checkpoint to the ferry port to Giurgiu, explained the regional governor of Ruse Dragomir Draganov.
"Their Council of Ministers has started a procedure for the legalization of the checkpoint. A contractor has been selected for transportation from both the Bulgarian and Romanian sides," he added.
The terminal in Ruse has been ready for nearly two years and has the necessary infrastructure, confirmed acting at the port of Ruse Ivaylo Bashalov.
"The only thing left is to appoint staff. The possibilities of the ferry connection are about 240 freight cars. The crossing between the two coasts is about 2 hours. The ferry connection will only be for heavy goods vehicles," he said, BNT reports.
The long-awaited overhaul of the "Danube Bridge" is also expected to begin in July.
Meanwhile - until May 31, the reorganization of traffic on the Danube Bridge continues due to another emergency repair. A meeting will be held tomorrow with the API and the Ministry of Transport, who will name the contractor for the repair and will make a schedule for its implementation. Representatives of the Romanian institutions will also participate in the meeting.
"This year, the Danube Bridge celebrates its 70th anniversary. More than 3,000 cars pass through it in both directions every day. The overhaul would make one-way traffic difficult. Therefore, the efforts of the regional administration are aimed at launching the ferry line.