Minister Nankov: Tolls Will Solve the Problem with the Insufficient Financing of the Road Sector

Minister Nankov: Tolls Will Solve the Problem with the Insufficient Financing of the Road Sector

25 Oct 2017 | 11:58

If by the end of the year a decision is made under EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) for the route of Motorway Ruse – Veliko Tarnovo, trading will commence next year

 

The road sector in Bulgaria in the last 30 years has been exceptionally insufficiently financed. The needed funds for the maintenance of the national road network on an annual basis are over 1,2 billion BGN. The revenues from vignette fees, which Road Infrastructure Road has as of this time and invests in the maintenance of the roads add up to about 300 million BGN, which also includes winter cleaning. The tolls will solve this problem. This was commented today by the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Nikolay Nankov in the show “Hello, Bulgaria” of Nova Television.

Over 350 km of motorways were built up in the country from 2010 up to now, the Minister informed and added that Northern Bulgaria lags behind in this respect. This is why roads will be constructed there with priority, the Minister pointed out.

Nikolay Nankov also commented on the tender for construction of the motorway from the city of Sofia to the border with Serbia at Kalotina, the term for which is 2,5 years. It is anticipated that the road shall be with overall dimensions of a motorway – with width 27 m, with two traffic lanes in a direction and additional emergency lane and the traffic speed will be 120 km/h., the Minister explained.

It is anticipated that the road between Ruse and Veliko Tarnovo should be built up with the same overall dimensions. This will be made in three stages which will be: the section between the towns of Ruse and Byala, the bypass road of the town of Byala and the section between the towns of Byala and Veliko Tarnovo. “If by the end of the year there is a decision made under EIA for the route, in 2018 we will be able to commence the trading“, Minister Nankov added.

He announced that there already is a selected Contractor for design and construction of the section from Yablanitsa to the fork for Teteven of Hemus Motorway, and in 2019 the construction itself will start up. “As early as in 2018 the construction of the section from the fork for Teteven to the fork for Lovech and Pleven will commence, so that these 50 km of the Motorway could be built up within the framework of the next 2 years“, he added.

Nankov assured us that the construction of Struma Motorway is being executed in conformity with the schedule, and the 25-kilometer section from Kresna to Sandanski will be built up for briefer than the input terms and indicated that the target date will be the end of year 2018. He informed that there already is an enacted decision under EIA for the most difficult section through Kresna Gorge, which is signed by the Minister of Environment and Water. “Even if there are appeals, in 2019 we will be able to commence the construction in conformity with the schedule”, the Construction Minister indicated.

“We hope that the winter will be milder than the previous one so that we could save from the input resource for winter maintenance of the roads”, Nikolay Nankov said and explained that the state spends per year between 57 and 80 million BGN depending on the winter conditions. The saved funds will be used for maintenance and rehabilitation of the road infrastructure, the Regional Minister also commented.