Deputy Prime Minister Grozdan Karadzhov: Building north-south links will contribute to regional development

The construction of the north-south links and the completion of the ring road will lead to a more harmonious development of the regions and a “closing of the gap” between the two parts of the country. Motorways are a magnet for investment because of their easy access to cities. The completion of the Hemus motorway will contribute to the development of Northern Bulgaria. I hope that with joint efforts we will return to pragmatic dialogue, cut the knot with the inhouse procedures and complete it by 2027. This was stated by outgoing Deputy Prime Minister Grozdan Karadzhov at the annual conference “Strategic Infrastructure and Investment 2022”.

The Regional Minister outlined the strategic road projects that should connect North and South Bulgaria. At present, there is not a single north-south road wide enough. The Struma motorway is only partially built. If the route through Kresna Gorge is not built, we will not be competitive and we will lose opportunities for the development of our economy at the expense of Serbia and North Macedonia, the Deputy Prime Minister warned.

The other important link in the north-south direction is the motorway “Ruse - Veliko Tarnovo”. The real work on the tunnel under Shipka has started. The construction of tunnels under the Petrohan Pass and along the future Black Sea Motorway is also planned.

The design of a four-lane road between Yambol and Lesovo should also be commissioned to accommodate the increased traffic. There has been a request to increase the cargo traffic from the Turkish side by more than 30 percent, Karadzhov said. The cargo traffic coming from Istanbul splits north to Romania and west through Serbia. Traffic to Romania has to be rerouted via Lesovo. The route to the crossing on the Turkish side has already been rehabilitated. We are going to increase the capacity of the border checkpoint on the Bulgarian side, but after that a dual carriageway starts, which also passes through settlements. This is a prerequisite for risky traffic. Therefore, the Road Agency is about to launch a public tender for a road safety impact assessment of the Yambol-Lesovo first-class road in order to find an appropriate solution for widening the route.

The Minister noted that investments in the regions are not only focused on road infrastructure. By 2027 we will have a resource of 6.6 billion BGN under the Regional Development Programme. Around BGN 3.5 billion will be invested under its first two priorities - urban and territorial development. This resource can be built upon by almost all other European programmes. Around BGN 3 billion is earmarked for the equitable energy transition towards climate neutrality for the districts of Pernik, Kyustendil and Stara Zagora. Another more than BGN 750 million will be invested in joint projects in Bulgaria’s border regions under the five cross-border cooperation programmes with Greece, Turkey, North Macedonia, Serbia and Romania.

The opportunity to improve the energy efficiency of buildings continues to be the most attractive for people because it directly changes their lives. Funding for the measure will also be available under the Recovery and Resilience Plan. The budget for the renovation of residential and public buildings is over BGN 2 billion. Applications for the programme are planned to start in September. It is planned to invest BGN 100 million under the Plan in the so-called Green Mobility pilot scheme. Another 471 million BGN are funds for W&S systems and sewage treatment plants that will directly contribute to a better quality of life in settlements, Karadzhov further informed.