Traffic through 'Topli Dol' Tunnel on 'Hemus' Motorway to Resume for Christmas, with Full Reopening by Easter

The owner of the company carrying out the renovation of the Topli Dol Tunnel has committed to reopening it for the Christmas holidays and putting it fully into operation by Easter, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said on October 27. He and Regional Development Minister Ivan Shishkov inspected the tunnels along the Sofia–Varna road while travelling to Veliko Tarnovo.

Radev made the announcement during his visit to the historic capital.

“I asked a very clear question: could the renovation have been postponed rather than carried out at this particular time? People are furious about the massive traffic jams. I was told that it could not, because safety standards require the tunnel to be renovated,” the prime minister explained.

Two-way traffic through the tunnel is expected to be restored by the Christmas and New Year holidays. The contractor pointed out that work on the tunnel had been interrupted several times since 2025. However, work resumed at the beginning of October this year, and the renovation is now being carried out on a two-shift basis to speed up completion, the prime minister added.

Rumen Radev said that construction of the Ruse–Makaza motorway, extending to the Greek border, could be commissioned within a year, at the latest by this time next year.

The government will allocate €2 million in next year’s budget to speed up the design work for road infrastructure in Veliko Tarnovo, Radev said after meeting the city’s mayor, Daniel Panov.