The Vidin-Botevgrad road will be ready by December 2021, it will cost BGN 1.6 billion A concession will be prepared for a tunnel under the Petrohan Pass

A concession will be prepared for a tunnel under the Petrohan Pass

The Vidin-Botevgrad road will be completed by December 2021 and the most difficult sections will be ready by the end of 2020. These deadlines were set in a resolution at an operational meeting of the Council of Ministers held today, which is a continuation of the management program for the mandate 2017-2021. The government meeting was attended by the regional governors of Vidin, Albena Georgieva, Vratsa, Malina Nikolova, and Montana, Rosen Belchev, as well as representatives of the protesters from Vidin.

“A particular timetable with clear and consistent steps to be followed was prepared for the project,” said Nikolay Nankov, Minister of Regional Development and Public Works. He pointed out that the construction of a modern road infrastructure from Vidin to Sofia will also ensure a speeding and comfortable shifting of traffic from the Danube Bridge 2 to the interior of the country and to the Aegean Sea along the European transport corridor 4.

For the construction of the Vidin-Botevgrad road, the construction of 6 sections has been planned:

- Stage 1 Vidin - Dimovo - with a length of 35.7 km.

- Stage 2 Dimovo - Bela - Ruzhintsi - with a length of 22.3 km.

- Stage 3 Ruzhintsi - Montana - with a length of 40.3 km.

- Stage 4 Montana - Vratsa - with a length of 28.7 km.

- Stage 5 Vratsa - Mezdra - with a length of 9 km - rehabilitation.

- Stage 6 Mezdra - Botevgrad - with a length of 33 km.

“Their construction will be divided into several projects, in preparation of which all acts and regulations as well as all regulated procedures are observed. Within 10 days, we’ll announce public procurement procedures for the most difficult sections. We will complete them by the end of 2020,” Minister Nankov informed. He announced that the total project cost is BGN 1.6 billion, which will be provided by future revenues from tolls and electronic vignettes.

Nikolay Nankov also announced that it is planned that the project route of the motorway will be located outside the settlements in that direction and will shift the traffic from the bridge over the Danube near Vidin to Sofia. A part of the route to Montana is planned to be of the size of a motorway - two traffic lanes and one emergency lane. “In the heavy traffic section from Mezdra to Botevgrad a speed road with two lanes will be built for driving in each direction,” the Regional Minister pointed out.

The Council of Ministers also adopted a decision to support the implementation of a project for a tunnel under the Petrohan Pass, which will be prepared for a concession. This May, the Road Infrastructure Agency is planning to hold a procedure for the selection of a contractor to prepare a feasibility study for tunnel passage through the pass. “We have reached an agreement for Petrohan - the State is preparing it for a concession. We will offer the project to investors coming to Bulgaria,” said Prime Minister Boyko Borisov. He said that budget funds couldn’t be ensured at this point, but all procedures might be prepared, so it was ready for concessions and public-private partnerships. “Corridor 4 is extremely important because it makes sense for Struma Motorway as well, linking the warm sea, providing a connection from Thessaloniki through Sofia, Vidin, to Bratislava and Budapest,” the Prime Minister added. He also noted that the delays in introducing the toll system due to appeals resulted in daily losses of BGN 1.5 million. “Imagine we gave BGN 1.5 million to Vidin, the next day to Montana and the next day to Vratsa, you do the counting,” the Prime Minister added. Deputy Prime Minister Valeri Simeonov and Minister Nankov noted that the two projects have been set out in the agenda of the coalition government and will be implemented within the deadlines.

Rositsa Kirova, a representative of the protesters from Vidin, thanked the Prime Minister for making sure that the two decisions were made. She stated that the explicit decision of the Council of Ministers meant that the government had the will to build the road, while complying with all deadlines, stages, and parameters. “This will contribute to the development of the regions and to the safe and secure travel of everyone living in this part of Bulgaria,” Ms. Kirova added.

Malina Nikolova, District Governor of Vratsa, also thanked for the adopted decisions.