NEW SECTION OF MARITSA MOTORWAY COLLAPSED

The newly built section at km 36 between the towns of Dimitrovgrad and Orizovo, South Bulgaria subsided. Repair works have been going on for the past 2 days.

However, the Bulgarian Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA) said on 18th of February that there was a subsidence and that calibration of the expansion joints and bearings of the bridge above Maritsa River was being performed. RIA explained that this was a standard procedure, usually performed in new large-size facilities, in which the joints and bearings were installed during the summer and there were significant temperature differences and temperature change between winter and summer.

The new section of the motorway was completed and opened in 2015. At the beginning of 2016, another repair took place at km 31st, also because of subsidence.

The official announcement of RIA says that the motorway will be re-opened for traffic by lunch time on 20th of February.