Bulgaria’s New 'Europe' Highway: Drivers Can Expect Full Access Very Soon

The entire “Europe” (Evropa) highway will be accessible to traffic starting Sunday, announced Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Ivan Ivanov during a meeting of the Committee on Regional Policy, Public Works, and Local Self-Government. The minister emphasized that highway construction has slowed significantly in recent years, and improving road infrastructure is a top priority for the government. In this context, the construction of the “Hemus” highway has been accelerated, with the “Boaza” section connecting to the “Dermantsi” road junction scheduled to open by the end of the month.

Ivanov also instructed the Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA) to complete a comprehensive inventory of Bulgaria’s road network by November 1. The aim is to identify outdated or missing road signs across the country’s 20,000-kilometer network, which currently features over 50,000 signs. On sections where average speed monitoring is in place, the calculations will consider the maximum allowed speed while ignoring localized restrictions.

The “Europe” highway, an essential segment of the Trans-European Transport Network, spans 63 kilometers from the border with Serbia at the Kalotina checkpoint. It forms part of the Northern Speed Tangent, which channels vehicle and freight traffic onto the “Hemus” and “Trakia” highways, ensuring smoother distribution of flows. During a site inspection in August, Ivanov had already confirmed that the highway would be ready for operation by mid-September, reinforcing its importance for national and regional connectivity.