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Adopt a 4-year rehabilitation program on the roads, they become a top priority
The construction of the tunnel under Shipka – the longest-running infrastructure project in Bulgaria, which has a history of nearly 130 years, has encountered an unexpected obstacle. According to Deputy Prime Minister and Regional Minister Grozdan Karadzhov, the project for him is too narrow – only one lane in each direction.
“I was very surprised by this. The road traffic at this place implies at least two lanes for traffic in one direction, “Karadjov said during the presentation of the team and his priorities.
It is not yet clear whether the project will be reworked, it is connected to the Gabrovo bypass road, which is indeed wider and has two lanes in each direction. Karadjov said only that the tunnel under Shipka has no funding anyway and it is unclear when construction could begin.
In 2020, however, the road agency announced a tender for a bypass road to Gabrovo with a tunnel under Shipka Peak and it was won in 2021 by Hydrostroy with an offer of BGN 358 million including VAT.
Shortly before the signing of the contract, however, the then caretaker Minister Violeta Komitova fired the head of RIA Apostol Minchev, albeit for other reasons. A little later, the second ranked in the auction – “Trace Group Hold”, appealed the ranking to the CPC. The Antimonopoly Commission rejected the appeal, but the holding appealed to the SAC and the case is currently in court.
However, the tunnel under Shipka is among the priorities of the new Deputy Prime Minister, as well as the construction of the Petrohan tunnel, for which there is only the initial EIA procedure, and a third tunnel in the Balkan Mountains along the future Black Sea highway connecting Varna. with Burgas. However, it is still in the pre-investment stage.
RIA and the regional ministry are launching a 4-year road rehabilitation program, of which only the 2022 program is currently at an advanced stage. It and the programs for the coming years will be made public and everyone will be able to see in advance whether the road he is interested, he will be brought to a normal state and when, Karadzhov said.
For now, the ministry plans to request BGN 2.8 billion in the 2022 budget for the repair of about 3,000 kilometers of roads and will develop a mechanism for indexing construction prices to complete ongoing projects. The reason is that the main building materials have become much more expensive in the last 8-10 months.
Bringing the national road network in better condition will be among the main priorities. The district governors are yet to prioritize the roads in their district and their rehabilitation will be planned. At the same time, building regulations and standards will be changed so that the requirements for at least the first and second class network are higher.
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