By the end of the year, major repairs of the Danube Bridge will begin

Overhaul of the Danube Bridge will begin this year. This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Regional Development and Public Works - Grozdan Karadjov. In Ruse, Minister Karadjov, together with Transport Minister Nikolay Sabev, had a meeting with the Romanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Sorin Grindeanu.

The inspection of the Danube Bridge has shown that it is in a very bad condition and there is even a strip of structural elements, said Minister Karadjov.

It is expected that the technical design for the repair of the bridge over the Danube between Ruse and Giurgiu will be completed in May, and a competition for contractor will be announced under the Public Procurement Act. Deputy Prime Minister Karadjov added that he hopes the renovation will be completed in the spring of 2023. The technical design that is currently underway is divided into three stages. The design of the first intermediate stage has been completed and the project will be reviewed by the Expert Technical and Economic Council at RIA. This technical project will determine the specific repair and restoration activities to be performed on the facility, the estimated value and the exact deadline for their implementation.

Deputy Prime Minister Karadjov and Transport Minister Nikolay Sabev agree with Romanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Sorin Grindeanu for Bulgaria and Romania to start implementing the 2019 Memorandum. It is written that 5 possible locations for future bridge facilities over the Danube will be studied. These are Oryahovo - Beckett; Nikopol - Turnu Magurele; Svishtov - Zimnich ; Ruse - Giurgiu and Silistra - Calarasi. To speed up the implementation of the Memorandum, two working groups are being set up every three months under the auspices of the Ministers of Regional Development and Transport. In addition to building a new bridge over the Danube, the working groups will speed up the implementation of the FAST Danube project, which aims to improve navigation in the common Bulgarian-Romanian section of the river throughout the year.

In Ruse, the regional minister also commented on the construction of the Ruse-Veliko Tarnovo highway. He specified that a tender for design and construction was held. The offers are open, but the winner will become clear after the starting point of the highway is determined. It depends on Natura 2000 sites on both Romanian and Bulgarian territory. "I hope that today's meeting will give impetus to this process, because the zero point is actually the second bridge over the Danube near Ruse," said the regional minister. He explained that the EC prioritizes the development of the Bucharest-Ruse-Veliko Tarnovo corridor through the Hemus highway. This highway can continue through the Balkan Mountains, cross the Thracia and Maritza highways and reach the Greek border. "This makes it a real cross-border corridor between Romania, Bulgaria and Greece, and together the three countries could receive European funding for its construction, including a second bridge over the Danube near Ruse," Deputy Prime Minister Karadjov added.