Academician Nikolay Denkov: Ruse is at the center of the highways we are planning with Greece and Romania

Ruse has a huge potential because it is in the center of the highways that we want to develop. The city is an integral part of the talks with the Prime Ministers of Greece and Romania on the development of regional connectivity along the South-North axis. This was stated by the Prime Minister Academician Nikolay Denkov, who today participated in the ground breaking of the second lot of the Ruse-Veliko Tarnovo highway. The Prime Minister pointed out that it is important that the project, the implementation of which starts today, be implemented in the shortest possible time, because it is key both for Bulgaria and for the entire region.

"For Bulgaria, the Ruse-Veliko Tarnovo highway is a step towards the economic revival of Northern Bulgaria. The highway is 132 km long and today we are starting construction on one of its sections. So, in 5 years we will have full connectivity in Northern Bulgaria", said the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Andrey Tsekov. The minister gave more details on the construction process of the site. For the 8-kilometer section that opens today, the project has been approved, a construction permit has been issued. The funds in the budget are provided. Separately, under the "Transport and transport connectivity" program, we are counting on BGN 1.8 billion. By April next year, the handover of the projects for the entire 75-kilometer route in the section between the city of Ruse and the city of Byala is expected.

At the beginning of next year, a public procurement will be announced for the last - third section, which should connect the highway between the town of Byala and Veliko Tarnovo, i.e. to the town of Debelec. In 2024, a public contract will be announced for the design of the completion of the highway route in the Veliko Tarnovo direction to the "Maritsa" highway.

Regional Minister Andrey Tsekov also specified that funds are planned in the 2024 budget for the design of expressways in the region - an expressway between Svishtov and the new highway "Ruse - Veliko Tarnovo", from Ruse to Shumen, from Silistra to Shumen, expressway road Silistra-Dobrich-Varna. "The funds are included in the budget for next year. We hope that the design will start next year, so that in a medium-term plan the entire first-class road network in the region will be renovated", the minister explained part of the API's plans for the development of the road network in North-Eastern Bulgaria.

The project route of the highway has a total length of 132.84 km and is divided into three sections: Ruse - Byala, bypassing the town of Byala and Byala - Veliko Tarnovo. The second lot of the highway, on which the first sod was made today, is a bypass of the city of Byala, and the total length of the route is 35.4 km. Construction will begin in a 7.9-kilometer section, which is on the land of the Tsenovo municipality, Ruse region. There is a ready technical project for it, completed alienations and a building permit issued. For the rest of the highway, the preparation of the technical projects and field provision of the route continues. The project for the construction of Lots 1 and 2 of the "Ruse - Veliko Tarnovo" highway is included in the "Transport Connectivity" program 2021-2027.

Regional governors, people's representatives and mayors from the region also took part in the ceremony today.