From today, July 5, until July 8 between 1:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., due to expected high temperatures above 35 degrees, the movement of trucks over 20 tons will be restricted on certain sections of the republican road network in seven regions. This was announced by the press center of the “Road Infrastructure“ Agency (API).
The regions are Vidin, Pleven, Veliko Tarnovo, Stara Zagora, Ruse, Razgrad and Shumen.
Vehicles will wait outside the roadway in certain places, without interfering with other road users. The restriction does not apply to trucks transporting perishable foods, temperature-controlled cargo, live animals and dangerous goods, the RIA specified.
It is planned to restrict the movement of heavy trucks on the first-class road I-2 Ruse - Varna, in the sections in the districts of Ruse, Razgrad and Shumen (from 12 km to 146 km), on the road I-3 Byala - Botevgrad, in the section Strahilovo - Pleven - Radomirtsi (from 7 km to 135 km), passing through the territory of the districts of Veliko Tarnovo and Pleven.
Restrictions will also be introduced on the road I-5 Ruse - Gabrovo - Kazanlak, in the section from 6th to 115th km and along the route between the border with Gabrovo region at the “Shipka“ pass to the village of Byal Izvor (from 170th to 266th km). The sections pass through the districts of Ruse, Veliko Tarnovo and Stara Zagora.
In the Stara Zagora region, traffic will be temporarily restricted on the I-6 Sub-Balkan road in the section Kalofer - Kazanlak - Nikolaevo (from 276th km to 352nd km). There will also be a restriction on heavy goods traffic on the II-66 Stara Zagora - Chirpan road in the section from the village of Bogomilovo to the road junction of the “Trakia“ motorway in the area of the village of Svoboda (from km 72 to km 91), as well as on the third-class road III-663 in the Chirpan - Celina section (from km 0 to km 15). The passage will also be temporarily restricted on the second-class road II-55 in the section Debelets - Predela - Prohod na Republikata (Mishemorkov Han - Lagerite - Zlatirat - Gurkovo) - Panicharevo, as the route passes through the districts of Veliko Tarnovo and Stara Zagora.
Heavy trucks will be restricted in the afternoon hours and on road I-4 in the sections between Novo Selo - Veliko Tarnovo and Moravitsa and between the junction for Cherencha to the “Belokopitovo“ in the districts of Veliko Tarnovo and Shumen.
On the I-7 Silistra - Shumen road, motor vehicles over 20 tons will temporarily not be allowed to move along the first-class section on the territory of the Shumen district.
In the Vidin district, the movement of heavy trucks on the I-1 Vidin - Vratsa road, which enter Bulgaria through the Danube Bridge 2, will be restricted.
The suspension of heavy truck traffic in certain sections of the republican road network in the afternoon hours, when temperatures are highest, is to reduce the risks of deformations of the road surface and to protect the lives and health of travelers.
The RIA called on drivers to drive carefully and at a reasonable speed, to follow traffic rules and not to undertake risky overtaking, which endanger the safety of all other travelers. The road agency warned against using emergency lanes on highways for faster movement in heavy traffic, so as not to impede the passage of vehicles with a special traffic regime in the event of an accident.
At the end of June, due to the hot weather, traffic for trucks over 20 tons was temporarily restricted in 14 regions of Bulgaria.