Minister Shishkov: Hemus Motorway to Reach Veliko Tarnovo Within Two and a Half Years

Construction of the Hemus Highway will begin immediately, Regional Minister Ivan Shishkov announced during a meeting with mayors from Northern Bulgaria. Construction will be entrusted to the companies already selected, so as not to lose time in legal proceedings. According to Shishkov, the motorway will reach Veliko Tarnovo within two and a half years and should be fully completed within three and a half years.

During a meeting with Regional Development Minister Ivan Shishkov in Veliko Tarnovo, the mayors of the 20 municipalities through which the Hemus motorway will pass agreed that construction should resume immediately.

Ivan Shishkov, Minister of Regional Development and Public Works: “We had an extremely productive discussion with the mayors, and we wanted to understand what is more important — whether to start building now and immediately or to drag out those procedures that were not part of the normal contracting process. Whether to draw up an addendum and continue, or to proceed with terminating the contracts, with all the associated risks, losses to the state, and wasted time.”

Photo: BTA

However, the state will not make any further advance payments to the companies.

Ivan Shishkov, Minister of Regional Development and Public Works: “It is clear that these companies are neither ours nor the mayors’. They now have to prove to the whole of Bulgarian society that they are genuine construction companies. We will not make advance payments now. First they will have to earn the advances, then we will start paying, including after the construction has been completed.”

Minister Shishkov also explained that sections 7 and 8 of the motorway would be redesigned, and expressed hope that the contractors would begin work within the next year.

Ivan Shishkov, Minister of Regional Development and Public Works: “The support we have received obliges us to make sure that, within the next few weeks, we finalise the negotiations and return the contractors to where they belong.”

The Regional Development Minister stressed that improving transport connectivity between northern and southern Bulgaria is a priority for the country in the coming years.