“Secret Contracts for Struma AM Project: Democratic Bulgaria Sounds Alarm”

“Last week, we accidentally found out that on April 6 of this year, the Road Infrastructure Agency quietly concluded contracts for the implementation of the Struma AM project (lot 3.2.2) and road connections in the section that is in the Kresna Gorge” , announced by “We Continue the Change” – “Democratic Bulgaria” (PP-DB) in a statement from the rostrum of the National Assembly. It was read by the deputy chairman of the parliamentary group, Vladislav Panev.

Usually, large infrastructure projects are “bathed” in public attention and the first sods are broken with much fanfare, he commented. What is the reason, however, that none of the rulers announced in advance the two contracts signed on April 6, for the construction of 27 km east of the Kresna gorge for BGN 1.2 billion, comments Panev. He noted that there was no public announcement or press release, and the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, Ivan Shishkov, surprisingly invited the media to the groundbreaking for the completion of the Kresna road junction and the road connections to it, part of lot 3.2 of the Struma highway. the day before the first sod in question.

Protest by environmentalists due to the construction of the “Struma” highway near Kresna

AM “Struma” should be built, but for more than a decade this has not happened, no way has been found for the realization of this project, provided funding from the European Union is secured. Vladislav Panev pointed out that the blame for this has been transferred to civil organizations, residents of the area and local small businesses for years. He specified that the proposal of the caretaker government and of many regular governments before it was not for the construction of a highway, but for the construction of a first-class road, divided into two one-way routes, one of which is the existing one through the Kresna gorge, and the other through the eastern bypass in question.

Bulgaria withdrew the project for the “Struma” highway through the Kresna gorge

Panev pointed out that the construction of the “Struma” highway is a priority project for both Bulgaria and the EU. The financing provided by the European funds is for a trans-European highway, not a first-class road, he noted, however. Thus, this dubious project will have to be financed in the end from the republican budget, which would have a negative impact on the declared deficit of 6.4 percent of the caretaker government, if the first payments happen in 2023, Panev believes.

He noted that with the environmental impact assessment (EIA) of 2017, it was chosen as an option for the route of the highway to Greece to use the existing E-79 through the Kresna Gorge, and to build a completely new eastbound one in the direction of Sofia route.

“The contracts are currently for this eastern route, and when it is ready, the rehabilitation of E-79 will begin. The section will not actually have the gauge of a highway, but will be a one-way high-speed section, i.e. without an emergency lane and a speed limit of 90 km/h,” said Vladislav Panev. According to him, this will not particularly ease the flow of passengers and cargo from Bulgaria to Greece and its ports. It’s not a highway, it’s a premium road, he noted.

“For us, this destructive option for people and nature has alternative solutions that we insist are taken. Instead of a premium road divided into two one-way routes, there are two other options that allow the construction of a safe two-way highway by means of either a tunnel or a full highway section to the east of the Kresna gorge,” said the deputy chairman of the PG of the PP-DB.

According to him, the road proposed by the government with two separated one-way routes will lead to a complete lack of road safety for all road users.

“We know that we cannot expect much from the caretaker government, which has to fulfill given orders, but we want to assure the public that we will fight with all legal means and political methods to build a fast and safe Struma freeway outside the populated areas , in compliance with road safety, protection of the interest of all people and preservation of the unique biodiversity in the Kresnen Gorge,” the PP-DB representative concluded.