Road Agency Chief Warns of Shortage of Funds for Winter Maintenance

Lazar Lazarov, Chair of the Management Board of Bulgaria’s Road Infrastructure Agency, photo by BGNES

As Bulgaria braces for the first snowfall scheduled for Friday, the Road Infrastructure Agency warns about the shortage of funds for seasonal road maintenance.

Lazar Lazarov, Chair of the Management Board of the Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA), explained Monday that the winter road maintenance regime would be introduced after November 1, provided that the weather conditions required the measure.

He specified that roads in high places would be the first to switch to winter maintenance.

Lazarov, as cited by the Focus news agency, called on drivers to prepare their cars for the winter by fitting winter tyres and pouring non-freezing windshield washer fluid in the reservoirs.

Lazarov said that around 40% of Bulgaria’s road network was in poor condition and the situation was expected to deteriorate during the winter season.

He explained that the cracks and small openings were bound to grow much bigger once they were filled up with water which turned into ice, especially taking into account the impact of the passage of heavy vehicles.

Lazarov underscored that it was necessary to invest around BGN 15 M into the preparation of roads for the winter season because fixing the potholes in spring would cost three times as much, or some BGN 30-40 M.

He also cautioned that the winter resort of Bansko could be sealed off from the rest of the country in winter as a supporting wall, which had been damaged by the heavy rain, was about to collapse.

Lazarov pointed out that the impossibility to use the Bansko-Razlog-Predela-Simitli road was bound to upset tourists who would find it very difficult to reach the popular ski resort of Bansko.

He assured that everything possible was being done to enhance the wall, adding that the authorities were drafting a project.

Lazarov specified that the repair works at the damaged supporting wall would cost some BGN 200 00 to BGN 600 000.

He also announced that the heavy rains had caused damage worth around BGN 60 M to roads in Bulgaria.

Lazarov also emphasized that the budget of the RIA had dropped 6 times over the past 10 years to a rate of BGN 169 M for 2015.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!