Lilyana Pavlova: Due to LOT 2 of Struma motorway the time travel from Sofia to Blagoevgrad becomes 40 minutes

Opening to traffic of the approximately 40 km long highway section today we fulfil the cherished dream to have a motorway from Sofia to Blagoevgrad. As a result the time travel between the two cities will be only 40 minutes. This is one of the busiest road sections leading to Thessaloniki that is important for business, tourism and students, said the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, Lilyana Pavlova, on the opening to traffic of LOT 2 of Struma motorway.
The Minister noted that this road section was the most complex one for implementation up to now with two tunnels and seven extremely compound facilities, one of which is a viaduct with a height of more than 50 meters. She thanked the constructors, who constructed them in accordance with the best parameters and safety requirements, for their outstanding efforts and professionalism.
With the support of the Prime Minister two large parking lots along this section of the motorway would be changed into specific market-places, where farmers would be able to sell their production. We would support small producers, because small business is important, said Pavlova.
She informed that on the parking lot located on 322 km of Struma motorway infrastructure and benches were built as from that place Vitosha and Rila mountains could be viewed in good weather. Thus we give tourists the opportunity to stop for a while and see the  panorama, because the road section from Dupnitsa to Blagoevgrad is exceedingly lovely, added Pavlova.

The Regional Minister thanked the team of Road Infrastructure Agency for their work. She made a commitment for the entire implementation of the remaining section of the motorway from Blagoevgrad to Sandanski. She said that the selected contractor of the road section from Kresna to Sandanski has already started work which have to continue actively in the next construction season.

Until the end of the year the project on passing through Kresna Gorge, which have to be considered with the technical as well as the ecological requirements, would be completed, said the Minister. She stated that she relies for support on the European Commission in relation to carrying out the procedure for selection of a contractor for the extremely complicated 20 km road section, after which only the section from Blagoevgrad to Krupnik would remain. ‘I expect that during the next year a contractor would be selected for this section and its construction would start”, said Pavlova. The motorway, including the section passing through Kresna Gorge, must be completed up to 2022 at the latest, until there is provided funding, stated she.
The Regional Minister wished all people who would use the new road section trouble-free travelling and called for not exceeding the speed limits because life is the most precious of all.