Regions in Growth

Scheme for provision of a grant

BG16RFOP001-7.001 „Regional Roads”

Managing Authority: Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works

Beneficiary under the scheme: Road Infrastructure Agency

Program Financing Mechanism:

European Regional Development Fund: 85%

State Budget of the Republic of Bulgaria: 15%

Total Amount of Funds: BGN 380 million.

Technical Description:

Priority axis 7 „Regional Road Infrastructure“ is focused on investments in the network of first, second and third class roads, to improve the connectivity and the accessibility of the secondary and tertiary nodes with the TEN-T network for cargo and passenger transport. The investments are directly related to the achievement of principles set out in the Strategy for development of the road infrastructure in the Republic of Bulgaria 2016-2022, namely:

Sustainability: The core fundamental principle of the Strategy ensures the sustainability of the road network and guarantees that the funds invested in the sector generate long-term benefits for the economy.

Connectivity: The connectivity is directly related to the national integration and refers most of all to the national and to a smaller degree to the municipal road network connecting the regional centers and the main international corridors. It contributes to the economic development of the country connecting the internal and the external markets with the regions of production and consumption.

Accessibility: The concept for accessibility refers to the role of the roads for improvement of the access to the suburban and peripheral areas. The main role of the roads of a lower class is to service the significant economic areas with contribution to the economic growth – agricultural areas, tourist sites, developed industrial zones, and reserves of natural resources.

Main objectives of the Strategy for development of the road infrastructure in the Republic of Bulgaria up to 2022 are the attainment of high level of safety and security of the transport. This priority is in conformity with the guidelines of the EU transport policy for provision of the safety of the kinds of transport and the preservation of the life and the health of the transport users. The planned investments in road infrastructure will create opportunities for development of the specific economic potential of the regions through increased mobility and access to markets. They will result in improvement of the business climate as a main prerequisite for the attraction of investments and creation of new workplaces. The investments in regions with a potential for development of tourism will have special benefit, as they will provide the access to the tourist sites and will increase the attendance. The rehabilitation of the road infrastructure will contribute to the development of multimodal transport systems as well as of the condition of the environment. The improvement of the qualitative characteristics of the roads will reduce the time for movement and will provide the maintenance of permanent speed of the motor vehicles, and in this manner, it will contribute to the reduction of the emissions of greenhouse gases. The modernized road infrastructure will provide possibility for choice of the local population as regards the kind and a place of education and health services and will render assistance for the prevention of the social isolation of the remote and difficult for access areas.

OPRG 2014-2020 provides for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of 439,033 km of the second-class and third-class national road network.

The projects under which the grants and contracts have already been awarded are as follows:

1. Lot 1 ,,Road II-57 Stara Zagora – Radnevo – road II-55, from km 0+250 to km 11+075 and from km 12+460 to km 40+554, with a total length of 38,919 km, regions of Sliven and Stara Zagora“;
2. Lot 2 ,,Road II-81 Kostinbrod – Buchin prohod, from km 8+200 to km 30+400, with a total length of 22,2 km, Sofia Region“;
3. Lot 3 ,,Road II-81 Buchin prohod – Berkovitsa, from km 30+400 to km 51+235, with a total length of 20,835 km, Sofia Region“;
4. Lot 4 ,,Road II-29 Varna – Dobrich, from km 20+394,73 to km 23+199,86 and from km 25+342 to km 38+100,31, with a total length of 15,563 km, Regions of Varna and Dobrich“;
5. Lot 5 ,,Road II-29 Dobrich – Kardam, from km 38+100,31 to km 52+168,81, with a total length of 14,069 km, Dobrich Region“;
6. Lot 6 ,,Road II-86 Plovdiv – Asenovgrad, from km 14+860 to km 25+150, with a total length of 10,3 km, Plovdiv Region“;
7. Lot 7 ,,Road II-35 Pleven – Lovech, from km 13+600 to km 25+384, with a total length of 11,784 km, Pleven Region“;
8. Lot 8 ,,Road III-904 Staro Oryahovo – Grozdyovo from km 0+000 to km 17+377,07, with a total length of 17,377 km, Varna Region“;
9. Lot 9 ,,Road III-904 Grozdyovo – Provadiya, from km 23+403 to km 29+928,99 and from km 36+205 to km 41+705,18, with a total length of 12,026 km, Varna Region“;
10. Lot 10 ,,Road III-1002 Vratsa – Ledenika Cave, from km 0+160 to km 17+588,80, with a total length of 17,429 km, Vratsa Province“;
11. Lot 11 ,,Road II-44 /Sevlievo Bypass – Veliko Tarnovo / Sevlievo – Draganovtsi, from km 0+000 to km 14+600, with a total length of 14,6 km, Gabrovo Region“;
12. Lot 12 ,,Road II-44 Draganovtsi – Gabrovo, from km 14+600 to km 23+978,36 and from km 25+731 to km 28+972,75, with a total length of 12,62 km, Gabrovo Region“;
13. Lot 13 ,, Road II-49 Targovishte – Razgrad, from km 9+800 to km 11+832,85 and from km 11+942,87 to km 30+658,87, with a total length of 20,749 km, Razgrad Region“;
14. Lot 14 ,,Road II-49 Kubrat – Tutrakan, from km 89+100 to km 98+875,82, with a total length of 9,776 km, Silistra Region”;
15. Lot 16 „Road II-35 Lovech – Troyan – Karnare, from km 37+393 to km 46+105, with a total length of 8,712 km, Lovech Region”;
16. Lot 17 „Road IІІ-306 Cherven bryag – Chomakovtsi, from km 9+715 to km 19+207, with a total length of 9,492 km, Pleven Region“;
17. Lot 18 „Road IІІ-112 Dabova mahala – Montana, from km 10+500 to km 16+174, from km 20+579 to km 27+736.15, from km 29+675 to km 36+654.63 and from km 37+825 to km 47+806.74, with a total length of 29,793 km, Montana Region“;
18. Lot 19 „Road IІІ-663 Chirpan – Simeonovgrad, from km 0+000 to km 15+220, with a total length of 15,220 km, Stara Zagora Region“; 
19. Lot 20 „Road IІІ-663 Chirpan – Simeonovgrad, from km 15+220 to km 28+913.25 and from km 31+742 to km 33+364.30, with a total length of 15,316 km, Regions of Stara Zagora and Haskovo“;
20. Lot 21 „Road IIІ-663 Chirpan – Simeonovgrad, the section from km 34+600 to km 54+83561, with a total length of 20.236 km, Haskovo Region”;
21. Lot 22 “Road III-866 Mihalkovo – the border to Smolyan Region, from km 66+857 to km 88+050, with a total length of 21.193 km, Smolyan Province”;
22. Lot 23 “Road III-866 the border to Plovdiv Region – Krichim, from km 88+050 to km 103+341, with a total length of 15.291 km, Plovdiv Region and Smolyan Region”;
23. Lot 24 “Road III-866 Smolyan – Stoykite – Shiroka laka , from km 8+225.53 to km 11+557.32 and from km 26+600 to km 50+484.86, with a total length of 27.217 km, Smolyan Province”;
24. Lot 25 “Road III-109 „/I-1/ – town of Melnik, from km 0+528 to km 12+815, with a total length of 12.287 km, Blagoevgrad Province“;
25. Lot 26 “Road ІІІ 507 Kardzhali – Bridge – Monastery, from km 0+055 to km 26+109, with a total length of 26,054 km, Kardzhali Region.

By January 2019, six of the above-mentioned projects have been completed and put into operation. A total length of 87,275 km of the national road network has been repaired, of which 57,872 km being second-class roads and 29,403 km third-class roads.

After opening of procedure under BG16RFOP001-7.001 „Regional Roads” has been opened, on 17.10.2018 Road Infrastructure Agency submitted 4 new project proposals in the total amount of BGN 52 210 740,60. By implementing them, a total length of 66,084 km will be rehabilitated, of which 32,519 km being second-class roads and 33,565 km third-class roads, as follows:

• Lot 27 „Road II-62 Dupnitsa – Klisura, from km 42+2632 to km 59+07166, with a total length of 16,80846 km, Kyustendil Region“;
• Lot 28 „Road II-62 Klisura – Samokov, from km 62+922 to km 78+633, with a total length of 15.711 km, Sofia Region“;
• Lot 29 „Road ІІІ-208 Provadiya – Daskotna, from km 49+184 to km 65+933, with a total length of 16,749 km, Regions of Burgas and Varna“;
• Lot 30 „Road ІІІ-208 Daskotna – Aytos, from km 65+933 to km 82+749, with a total length of 16,816 km, Burgas Region“.

The four new project proposals have been approved by the Managing Authority of Operational Programme „Regions in Growth“ 2014 – 2020, where after contracts for the provision of grants are to be signed.

On 11.10.2016 the contract was signed for the provision of a grant BG16RFOP001-8.004-001 “Improving the Road Infrastructure Agency administrative capacity for the successful implementation of the projects under Priority axis 7 „Regional Road Infrastructure“ of OP “Regional Development” 2014 – 2020”. The contract was financed under OP „Regions in Growth“ 2014 – 2020, Priority axis 8 „Technical Assistance“, procedure of direct procurement BG16RFOP001-8.004 „Budget Line for RIA“. The objective is to improve the Agency administrative capacity for the successful implementation of the projects under Priority axis 7 „Regional Road Infrastructure“ of OP “Regional Development” 2014 – 2020.