Bulgaria Imposes Temporary Truck Bans on Major Highways for Christmas and New Year

During the Christmas and New Year holiday weekends, trucks over 12 tons will face temporary travel restrictions on Bulgaria’s major highways. The Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA) announced that the bans will apply along the full lengths of the Trakia and Struma highways, and on the Hemus highway between Sofia and the Dermantsi junction in Sofia and Lovech districts.

The measure aims to ease traffic for passenger vehicles, improve road throughput, and enhance safety during peak travel periods, when the risk of accidents rises due to heavy truck columns and unsafe overtaking.

The schedule for the restrictions is as follows: on December 23 and December 30, trucks leaving Sofia will be barred from using the highways between 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. On January 4, 2026, the restriction will apply to vehicles traveling toward Sofia from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Certain vehicles are exempt from the bans. Public passenger transport is not affected. On the Hemus and Struma highways, trucks transporting dangerous goods (ADR), live animals, perishable foods, temperature-sensitive cargo, or specialized carcasses may continue to operate. On the Trakia highway, between the Ihtiman junction (km 34) and the Vakarel junction (km 23) toward Sofia, trucks carrying dangerous goods are also exempt.

Drivers are advised that, during the restricted periods, they may use alternative republican roads to bypass the affected highway sections, while observing all permanent traffic regulations in force.