Construction of Rudоzem Bypass Road Has Been Completed

Construction of the Rudоzem bypass road has been completed, the Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA) announced on September 15. The 2.4km section forms part of the second-class road II-86 between Srednogortsi and Rudоzem (Southern Bulgaria, Smolyan district).

The works were completed with the signing of Acceptance Certificate No. 15, confirming the construction’s readiness for acceptance. The next steps are the preparation of Acceptance Certificate No. 16 and the issuance of the Permit for Use.

With the bypass now complete, through traffic is diverted away from the town, facilitating travel to the Rudоzem–Xanthi border crossing and improving road safety. The road is also the main connection between Rudоzem Municipality and the regional centre of Smolyan.

The bypass follows an existing street in Rudоzem before continuing along a new alignment that crosses the Chepinska River and then connects via a junction to the Srednogortsi–Rudоzem road. The new section has two 3.75m-wide traffic lanes and two 1.5m-wide pavements. Seven retaining walls and five stabilisation walls have been built. The three-way junction at kilometre 132 has been reconstructed as a roundabout, the bridge over the Arda River has been repaired, and a new bridge has been built over the Chepinska River.

Electricity transmission and telecommunications cables have been relocated. A 230m section of the main water pipeline and a 530m sewer collector have been reconstructed, while the landslide area near kilometre 134 has been stabilised.

PHOTOS: RIA

The project was implemented under the INTERREG VI-A Greece–Bulgaria 2021–2027 Programme. The contract is worth €4,742,121.11 including VAT, with an additional agreement signed for a further €2,275,199.89 including VAT.