MRDPW is working to expand the capacity of several checkpoints in our country

The official office is working towards not only building the highways, but also making serious and better permeability of the border checkpoints, as we are currently working out a comprehensive concept for them. This was said by the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Arch. Ivan Shishkov before BNT. The main reconstruction of the Kalotina checkpoint is expected to be finally completed in September. It belongs to the "Customs" Agency and is currently undergoing reconstruction. In this way, better traffic permeability will be ensured for the summer, and thus the formation of traffic jams will be avoided.

Most likely, the expansion of the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing will be launched next week. The extension of the point is in the procedure for a Use Permit. At the moment, a serious analysis is being made for the Lesovo border crossing, which could also work with the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing, the regional minister also announced.

"Together with the Prime Minister, we launched 6.5 km of the Europa highway and it is now open for traffic. We have got the builder to complete what was in an advanced stage, I am pleased that surely the traffic will be eased especially now for the holidays. In recent months, I have issued orders such as building permits, amending detailed development plans, because there were things the state had to do so that we could open the site today. There is a clear commitment from the builder to have the entire route open by the end of May," informs arch. Shishkov and specified that the section from Dragoman to Kalotina is 14 km. Everything that the MRDPW needs to do, incl. and the state in terms of approving a detailed development plan and amending the projects has been completed and the problems have been cleared, so the builder has no reason to delay, the minister stressed.

Arch. Shishkov pointed out that after the launch of the section of AM "Europe", 7.5 km between Mezdra and Botevgrad were also opened for traffic. This is one of the routes on which there are many traffic accidents. "We were able to solve purely procedurally the problems that there were," he said, adding that the plans for the five planned intersections were being reworked so that they would be two levels instead of one as originally planned.

The regional minister recalled that the two landslides on the "Struma" highway near the "Zheleznitsa" tunnel are being strengthened, and the expectations are that traffic will be opened in this section of the highway in a few months at the height of the summer season. In September, the construction of the Ruse - Veliko Tarnovo highway will be ready to begin. The expropriation procedures for the section of AM "Europe" from Sofia to Slivnitsa are at the end, and within 15-20 days the construction should begin on this problematic section as well.

On the occasion of criticism directed at him, that the construction of new highways and new roads has been stopped, that almost nothing is being done, arch. Shishkov replied that to such accusations, which are not based on any facts, we simply respond with work and people see this. The regional minister recalled the road sections released during the office - 16.5 square meters of the "Hemus" highway in the section from Bukhovtsi to Belokopitovo, the 3-kilometer section of the "Struma" highway before Simitli, the bypass of Burgas launched yesterday, as well as approved detailed development plans and projects for over 100 km of route.

Before entire sections of highways are released, they will be inspected. For this purpose, the idea is to use ground-penetrating radar, which is a more modern tool than taking nuts. After we invited the Croatian company to do a georadar inspection of the Northern Expressway, it turned out that we also have such devices, which, unfortunately, no one used for their intended purpose. We will use ground-penetrating radars, and the inspection will be done long before the guarantees expire, announced Arch. Shishkov. According to him, after about 15 days, the data from the georadar will come out during the tests of the Northern Speed Tangent.

Minister Shishkov explained that the prosecutor's office requested samples of the Western Tangent, and they did not meet the requirements of the project, as is the case with the Northern Tangent. The results are similar, but let's wait for the prosecution to do its work. "I was accused of speaking politically, but bringing out these facts triggered a political attack on me," he said, recalling that the samples were taken before the start of the election campaign. The attacks on me are not professional, but are the result of this campaign.

Arch. Ivan Shishkov also emphasized that the office works as a team and that the successes in the invisible part of the construction process in line with the design of the engineering infrastructure are the result of cohesive and well-organized work.