EU funding has made possible the construction of two sections of the A3 or ‘Struma’ motorway in the South-West region of Bulgaria. The motorway is a dual carriageway, with two 3.75 m wide lanes running in both directions either side of a 3.5 m central reservation, and 2.5 m wide emergency lanes on each carriageway.
- 09 May 2018
One section funded under the project is 17 km in length and runs between the city of Blagoevgrad and the village of Krupnik. It bypasses the village of Belo Pole, crosses the Struma river twice and includes a 2 km tunnel near the village of Zheleznitsa.
The other section runs between the towns of Kresna and Sandanski and is 23 km long, lying partly between the river and a railway. It passes through the village of Strumyani, later crossing the railway and ending to the east of it.
At the same time, a 21 km stretch from Krupnik to Kresna is also under construction. These three sections represent the most complex part of the motorway, as they run alongside the Struma and through the ecologically sensitive Kresna Gorge.
Follow-up to earlier projects
The work follows on from earlier projects on other parts of the Struma motorway, which were funded by the EU to the tune of EUR 291 million. These are: the 16.78 km section between the village of Dolna Dikanya and the town of Dupnitsa; that between Dupnitsa and Blagoevgrad which is 37 km in length; and the 15 km stretch between Sandanski and the village of Kulata.
Prior to this, the first two sections – the 19 km stretch connecting the Sofia ring road with the Daskalovo junction near the city of Pernik and the 22 km section between Daskalovo and Dolna Dikanya – were finalised in 2011. When completed, the entire motorway will be 173.8 km long and run from Sofia to the Greek border.
A fast international road connection
The construction comes under Trans-European Transport Network priority project 7, which is aimed at improving the road network in south-eastern Europe. This should strengthen links between the main cities in the region as well as between ports on the Mediterranean, Ionian, Aegean and Black Seas and the heart of the EU.
The motorway is part of Pan-European Transport Corridor IV, which provides the shortest route between the Danube and the Aegean Sea. The corridor also comprises Bulgaria’s busiest north-south axis, linking six of the largest cities in the west of the country: Vidin, Montana, Vratsa, Sofia, Pernik and Blagoevgrad.
By cutting journey times between Sofia and the Greek border by 40 minutes, the Struma motorway will provide a fast international road connection, which is important for the development of Bulgaria as a whole. Alongside this, it will reduce journey times for local residents, thereby improving their quality of life.
Furthermore, the motorway will make road transport in south-west Bulgaria safer. By removing obstacles to transport, it will smooth traffic flows, improving conditions for freight and passenger transport and cutting congestion and pollution. It should help to attract investment, generating trade and economic growth in the area, as well as boosting tourism.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Construction of parts of the Struma motorway” is EUR 391 036 719, with the EU’s Cohesion Fund contributing EUR 329 887 787 through the “Transport and transport infrastructure” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period.