Bulgaria Ambitiously Sets out to be Europe's Highway Champion

The plans were presented during Prime Minister Boyko Borisov's (R) meeting with the Vice President of the European Commission and Transport Commissioner, Antonio Tajani (L), who is on an official visit to Sofia. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's center-right government has announced the ambitious plan to set a European record in highway construction efficiency by putting into operation 65-kilometer-long sections each year.

The plans were presented during Prime Minister Boyko Borisov's meeting with the Vice President of the European Commission and Transport Commissioner, Antonio Tajani, who is on an official visit to Sofia.

"Bulgaria used to build 11 kilometers of highways each year. Now we are to increase that length up to 65 kilometers if we are to keep the set deadlines. For the sake of comparison I will say the Netherlands does no more than 55 kilometers per year," Prime Minister Borisov said.

Hemus highway, the only highway project in the northern part of the country, which is supposed to connect Sofia and Varna, has been scheduled to be completed in 2012. Of its supposed total length of 433 km, only two stretches - between Sofia and Yablanitsa, and Varna and Shumen - are in operation totaling 151 km in length.

The government plans to wrap the construction of the southern Trakiya Highway (connecting Sofia and Burgas on the Black Sea) in the summer of 2012.

The construction of three lots of the Maritsa Highway (connecting Trakiya Highway with the Bulgaria-Turkey border), and one of the lots of the Struma Highway (connecting Sofia with the Bulgaria-Greece border), are expected to be completed by the end of the government's four-year term.

Commissioner Antonio Tajani hailed the plans, saying the new government has set a very promising start of its term.

 

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