The record heat this summer also led to numerous road sections with damaged asphalt pavement throughout the country. Because of the heat, the wearing layer of the asphalt reaches a softening temperature and because of the overloaded trucks and tracks, deep ruts are formed.
One of the critical sections, where there is a damaged pavement from the tires, is on the main Ruse-Veliko Tarnovo road near the village of Kutsina. Deep ruts in the asphalt create prerequisites for accidents.
„Worse than the Ring Road in Sofia. Three people were killed and a car accident could happen at any moment. One span of track on the road to Polski Trumbesh, the right direction to Tarnovo is like a trench. Every year this thing happens, they do something and when the asphalt heats up, when these 40-ton trucks pass and the track is ready, says a driver.
After a hot summer with record temperatures, damaged sections of the international road that connects Europe with Asia and carries heavy heavy goods traffic have increased, a reporter's check shows. In winter, the tracks become icy and create dangerous situations for drivers.
„They are dangerous, very dangerous! And they don't take measures in the summer, as elsewhere they are stopped in the heat by heavy trucks to stop them, to stop them from moving, says another man.
The international road has not been repaired since 2006, according to the road agency, but repairs have recently started.
„At the moment, we have approved assignments for the entire section from the borders of the city of Ruse to the city of Gabrovo, in which such preventive repairs are to be carried out and the asphalt coverings of this section are to be replaced,” says Eng. Vencislav Angelov, director of the OPU&ndash Veliko Tarnovo.
The road agency adds that an additive to the asphalt mixture is used during the repairs to increase the softening point at high temperatures. Thus, during intensive heavy-duty traffic, swelling and deformation of the wearing asphalt layer will be prevented.