Bulgaria Hopes to Have Maritsa Motorway Built by August 2015

Bulgaria's Regional Development Minister Lilyana Pavlova. Photo BGNES

Winter weather permitting, Bulgaria may complete delayed construction of its Maritsa motorway in August next year, Regional Development Minister Lilyana Pavlova has said.

Following on-site inspection and meetings with construction contractors Pavlova said on Sunday that the 34.1-kilometre long Lot 1 was 65% completed and the 34.2 km long Lot 2 was 80% built.

Protracted land acquisition procedures, new archeological discoveries along the route of the motorway, torrential rains in 2014 and the need to build stronger embankments at  some sectors have delayed construction works at the motorway that should have been open for traffic by November 2014, the Regional Development Ministry said in a statement.

Maritsa motorway, part of pan-European transport Corridor IV linking northern Europe with Turkey and the Middle East, will also provide a connection with Bulgaria’s Trakia motorway that connects Bulgaria’s border with Serbia with the Black Sea coast.

The construction of the two lots of Maritsa motorway is financed with about BGN 307M (EUR 154M) from EU’s Operational Programme Transport.

Pavlova said that in meetings with the contractors she had sought their assurances the new construction deadlines will be met.

“New delays cannot be tolerated,” she said. “Otherwise we risk losing the entire EU financing for the construction of the motorway from the European commission.”

 Pavlova said on Saturday that construction of Struma and Hemus motorways will be completed in four years.

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