Construction of the last section of Struma Motorway is expected to start in 2027, the Kresna bypass must be completed by the end of next year

In 2027, the construction of the last section of the Struma motorway between Krupnik and Kresna is expected to start on the canvas from Kulata to Sofia. The bypass of the town of Kresna should be completed by the end of next year. This became clear during today's inspection of the road under construction and the terrain along the route, which the ministers of regional development and public works Ivan Shishkov and of agriculture and food Plamen Abrovski made jointly. It was attended by MPs Alexander Popov, Georgi Kunchev and Rashko Dinkov, the regional governor of Blagoevgrad region Vasil Trendafilov and representatives of the contractor company.

The regional minister pointed out that the section with a length of nearly 4.2 km, the construction of which began in November 2025, is being actively built. He has received the contractor's assurance that the Kresna bypass, which will export transit traffic east of the city and thus increase traffic safety, will be completed by the end of next year. We'll keep an eye on him. The site is complex, but the company is mobilized, the regional minister said.

Ivan Shishkov noted that 2031 is a realistic deadline for completing only the lane from the Struma Motorway in the direction of the Kulata – Sofia. And he reminded that for a long time the environmental associations and the state have had groundless conversations about where to pass the second lane in the direction of Greece. "This highway is proof that nothing has been done from end to end in the state and the most difficult section has remained. The lack of a political and expert solution has brought us to this situation,” he said.

 “For me, the history of Struma Motorway began in 2013, when it was declared a national site, but it was accompanied by quite a lot of partisan actions. In 2023, we saved the EIA procedure. If we had not done so, we would probably now be conducting another EIA procedure and there would be no chance for Bulgarian citizens to ease the situation of passing through the Kresna Gorge," said Arch. Shishkov.

"Our intentions are to develop this infrastructure site to the end," said Minister Shishkov. He explained that a project for the canvas in the direction of Sofia – Kulata east of the Kresna Gorge is also being worked on, for which it will also be necessary to conduct an EIA procedure. Until its construction, however, the bypass of Kresna should be built as quickly as possible and the construction of the canvas in the direction of Kulata - Sofia should begin. "Obviously, someone tried to prevent. Whether they want to hinder us as a political and ruling power or development in general, this is a matter of another conversation. But the facts are clear – since 2013, someone has been trying to get in the way. They interfere with the Bulgarian people, not with specific political forces," the regional minister was adamant.

Ivan Shishkov pointed out that for half of the 23 km long route between Krupnik and Kresna in the direction of Kulata – Sofia, which will pass east of the Kresna Gorge, a DUP was approved in 2023. It will start the expropriation procedures, which the government decided yesterday. The Minister expressed the expectation that they will be completed in a few months. This allows construction to begin in a section of Struma Motorway outside the gorge, which will be connected to the currently under construction bypass of the town of Kresna. Land is also to be expropriated for the construction of a section with a length of just over 1 km, which will connect the bypass road and the future highway route. Some of the lands are not privately owned and expropriation for them is not necessary. A detailed plan has also been drawn up for the other half of the section, which must be approved. After that, the technical projects will be approved and building permits will be issued.

“Where things can be done in parallel, we do it. The deadline can only be realistic if the state, designers and builders work in parallel and make it so that we gain time, because time has already been lost irretrievably. With every kilometer traveled, with every real route built, we give a chance to alleviate the situation," Minister Shishkov said.

He pointed out that the canvas in the direction of Kulata – Sofia outside the Kresna Gorge will make it possible to facilitate the movement in the region by introducing a temporary organization of traffic along it until the construction of the canvas from the capital to the border with Greece. “The culprits at the moment must be silent, not sabotage, because they have ruled all the time backwards. Everyone has made it so that, to date, they only plant bombs instead of helping,” the minister said. He added that in the first programming periods we had the opportunity to benefit from European funding, but we did not do so because the state had no projects, and for some of the highways it preferred to be built through an inhouse. "We have become a huge victim of a truly careless government," he was adamant.

“In my opinion, the procedures in Bulgaria are designed to interfere somewhat with the development of infrastructure. That's why I said that when you rule, you have to have the will to do things and make them so that you don't prevent society from developing infrastructure. Let’s be clear – I’m not saying that we should harm nature, I’m not saying that we should do so that we don’t consider nature. But let's comply with us," said the regional minister. And he added that the environmental procedures that protect nature have become political quarrels in back time, which means something is lame. Therefore, joint legislative initiatives between the ministers of regional development and agriculture are forthcoming, so that everything in Bulgaria that is considered to be done in a way that hinders the development of the state is changed. "Our focus is to help develop the business by legal means, to make sure that we develop the infrastructure without harming nature. There are ways, said arch. Shishkov.

“We will start all the abandoned and forgotten infrastructures where someone did not have the will. Especially for the Struma highway, for the most part, it was a lack of will to be done. A small part is a matter of sabotage. As you notice, from time to time we also find sabotage, "said Minister Shishkov.

Minister Abrovski announced that the last obstacle to the construction of the Struma Motorway had been removed this morning. "8 days before the end of the Gyurov cabinet, the Minister of Agriculture unknown for what reason and in what way he issued an order that included nearly 80 decares along the route for which a DUP had already been issued, burning in an old age phase," he explained. “Whether this was due to ignorance, neglect or someone misled the minister, I cannot say because I refuse to accept that a Bulgarian minister will consciously do something that will make it difficult to build a national site and endanger the health of citizens who are constantly traveling on this road,” said Minister Abrovski. That is why this morning a new order was issued, with which these 80 decares were removed and real forests in the old age phase were included in their place, with 20 decares more to ensure that Bulgarian citizens will not be harmed. "This mistake will not delay the project, because we caught it," the Minister of Agriculture was adamant.