Hemus Motorway Will be Completed until the Beginning of 2024
Hemus Motorway will be completed until the beginning of 2024. On the grounds of the carried out procedures, we have managed to shorten the period for completion and the construction will end a year earlier than the deadline that was set last year. This was announced today, in Veliko Tarnovo, by the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, Nikolay Nankov, during the second discussion under the moto “Hemus Motorway – Revival of the Bulgarian North”. By the end of 2021, 160 km motorway will be completed, he added.
Motorways and speedways are not built only to connect two settlements. They provide fast, qualitative and safe access of over-regional importance, said the Minister and highlighted that Hemus is not just a project that is being implemented in accordance with the obligations undertaken by the government’s program, but also a project carried out in accordance with the obligations undertaken by the government towards the people of Northern Bulgaria.
Nikolay Nankov reminded that the construction of new 9.3 km has already started at the section between Yablanitsa and the Boaza road junction, part of the 420 km long motorway, of which 170 km are in operation. The indicative deadline for the completion of this section is 2 years, but we have the assurance of the constructors and the Road Infrastructure Agency that it will be reduced to a year and six to seven months, stated Nikolay Nankov.
From the words of the Minister of Regional Development, it became clear that the project regarding the 52 km section between Boaza road junction and exit for Pleven and Lovech is at a final stage. The project envisages an extension of the road by 2 km, but around BGN 200 – 300 million will be saved from the state budget. We expect that the tender procedures for selection of contractors will begin in August and as early as 2020, these 52 km will be entirely constructed, he stated confidently.
We plan to start a tender procedure for engineering of another 85 km of the motorway – from the exit for Pleven and Lovech to the exit for Ruse and Veliko Tarnovo, said Nikolay Nankov and added that it is expected for this section to be finished in 2012. In this way, around 160 km of Hemus Motorway will be ready by 2021, he highlighted.
The 90 km section from the exit for Ruse and Veliko Tarnovo to Boaza road junction is at the most delayed phase of procedures, but after the project undergoes all of the regulatory procedures under the spatial planning, environmental and real estate procedures, it can be completed by the beginning of 2024, the Minister said . He added that in the next two – two and a half months it is expected for the real construction process to begin of the 16.3 km from the motorway between the Buhovtsi and Belokopitovo road junctions.
In regard to the Ruse – Veliko Tarnovo Motorway, the Minister of Regional Development explained that a case of the Supreme Court of Administration in relation to the claim under and Environmental Impact Assessment is scheduled for 18 June. If the decision of the court is in favor of the Road Infrastructure Agency, within a year work can begin on the plot plans and the construction procedures, commented Nankov.
133 km. is the length of Ruse – Veliko Tarnovo Motorway from Debelets to the future Danube bridge near Ruse. The most severe stretch in terms of road safety is the Ruse – Byala section, highlighted the Minister. He stated that the indicative value of the project for the motorway, which will be divided into three stages, is over BGN 1 billion. The exact value of the project will become clear after elaboration of the technical design. The deadline for completion of the section which is of great importance also for the regions near to Ruse and Veliko Tarnovo is planned for the middle of 2022.
All discussions on Ruse – Veliko Tarnovo Motorway were competently made and all procedures were abided to. The chosen alignment is the most optimal and environmentally friendly one, stated the Chairman of the Management Board of the Road Infrastructure Agency, Engineer Doncho Atanasov.
By the end of the year, we expect for the contract regarding the construction of the Botevgrad – Mezdra section from the Vidin – Botevgrad speedway to be signed, stated Nikolay Nankov. He said that with the implementation of these and other important projects for Northern Bulgaria, an opportunity will be given for the development of Southern Bulgaria as well. With regard to the development of the road infrastructure during the recent years the southern part of the country has considerably overtaken the northern one. Along Trakia Motorway, three industrial zones were developed within two and a half years. Here should be mentioned that the European Parliament referred to Trakia Motorway as one of the three most successful examples of the Cohesion Policy of the EU, stated the Minister. He expressed his belief that the construction of Hemus Motorway will give the same results for Northern Bulgaria.
Nikolay Nankov stated that it will be financed by national resources, relying mainly on the future revenues from the toll system planned to be put in operation in the middle of 2019.
In response to a question, the Minister of Regional Development stated that during the next 7 years, 16 new tunnels will be constructed and along with the assigned tunnel projects by the National Railway Infrastructure Company, around 60 km of tunnel structures will be built. It is expected for the tunnels under Shipka peak to attract the most significant investment interest in the form of a Public Private Partnership, he stated.
Before the media, Minister Nankov stated that during this and the next year, step by step depending by the the budget, the facilities along the European Transport Corridors, which are the busiest in the country, will be repaired with a priority. We depend not only on the budget of the Road Infrastructure Agency, but also on the over-executed state budget just like last year. From the middle of 2019, when the introduction of the toll system is planned, we will have enough resources to carry out efficiently those repairs that we will not be able to complete by the end of this year, highlighted the Minister.
This year two tunnel tubes will be completed from Hemus – Vitinya Motorway, that was partially renovated in 2017, and Echemishka, as well as three bridge facilities. Depending on the budget during this and the next year, the tunnel Trayanovi vrata of Trakia Motorway and tunnels on the territory of Veliko Tarnovo will be completed. It is expected for their construction to begin this autumn. We are now completing with the projects and we are going to start the real construction works after 1 – 2 months. There is already work being done in regard to the Lovech bypass. The technical design for renovation of the Kriviya tunnel on road E-79 within the Kresna Gorge is already completed. The construction works will be funded by the national budget, stated the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works.