Massive Traffic Jams on Trakia Motorway Near Ihtiman Disrupted Weekend Travel

Motorists spent hours in massive traffic jams on Trakia Motorway near Ihtiman over the weekend.

The congestion was caused by roadworks on the carriageway towards Sofia.

Traffic Jams on Trakia motorway Again: Road Infrastructure Agency Urges Drivers to Allow Extra Travel Time

Traffic heading to Burgas is limited to one lane, while traffic towards Sofia is running on two lanes.

“For us, the drivers of cars and trucks alike, this is an unpleasant situation. But understand, this road needed repairing. The asphalt’s condition — its grip — was below the required standards. During autumn rains or winter snow, there were numerous cases of aquaplaning, leading to serious accidents, sometimes with fatal outcomes. This road needed maintenance. The problem is that for 2–3 years, nobody paid attention. We see that the current work pace is satisfactory, and we hope the situation will soon improve.

However, our concern is this: since 2023, we warned the Road Infrastructure Agency that the I-8 road between Ihtiman and Vakarel is in extremely poor condition and neglected. About ten days ago, we conducted an inspection of this road. It’s in a tragic state. If it had been properly maintained, some vehicles, especially cars, could have used it, which would have alleviated the current visible congestion,” said Angel Popov, road expert at ECTP.