The construction of a 16.5 km-long section of ring road around the northern part of Sofia offers reduced travel times for local traffic and helps drivers to avoid the city’s most congested areas. The North Speed Tangent also benefits motorists from further afield by making it easier to move around and through the Bulgarian capital.
- 22 December 2014
This project is part of a wider scheme for the construction of a motorway connecting Sofia with the village of Kalotina, which, together with the construction of the Western Arc of the Sofia Ring Road, provides quicker and more convenient connections to the country’s road network. The North Speed Tangent is also expected to bring economic benefits to the region, especially as it improves accessibility to two important industrial zones which lie to the north and south-east of Sofia.
A project with a crucial international dimension
The new section of ring road has three active lanes and one emergency lane per direction. The design offers maximum speeds of 120 km/hour and includes seven transverse links as well as five road junctions. It passes over four rivers, one artificial water basin and four water channels. Moreover, the road crosses 19 electric power lines, a gas pipeline, and 20 water supply and sewerage networks.
Last but not least, Sofia is an important hub on the trans-European transport network (TEN-T), so the ring road will also benefit travellers from other countries.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “North Speed Tangent from km 0+000 to km 16+540” is EUR 120 151 948, of which the EU’s European Regional Development Fund is contributing EUR 102 129 156 from the Operational Programme “Regional Development for Bulgaria” for the 2007 to 2013 programming period. Work falls under the priority “Regional and Local Accessibility”.