EC Gives Green Light to Bulgaria's Maritsa Hwy

Bulgaria's Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, during the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of Maritsa highway in southern Bulgaria. Photo by BGNES

The EU Commissioner on Regional Policy, Johannes Hahn, signed Wednesday the EC approval of Bulgaria's application form for co-financing of the construction of the Maritsa highway.

The co-financing will be provided through the Cohesion Fund of the Operational Transport Program, the Bulgarian Regional Ministry's press office informs.

The total value of the highway's construction is close to EUR 204 M. 80% of them or about EUR 163 M will be assistance from the Cohesion Fund.

The tentative deadline is the end of 2013.

The road will be about 66-km-long, and is divided in two Lots.

Lot 1 - Orizovo-Dimitrovgrad is 31.4-km long. Lot 2 connects the towns of Dimitrovgrad and Harmanli in southern Bulgaria.

The Maritsa highway is part of the trans-European highway, connecting Central and Eastern Europe with the Middle East and Asia. It is scheduled to be completed by the Italian contractor Cooperativa Muratori & Cementisti, CMC, from Ravenna.

On August 2, Bulgaria's Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, and then Minister of Regional Policy and Public Works, Rosen Plevneliev (current President of Bulgaria), broke the ground of Lot 1 of Maritsa highway.

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