site.btaVarna to Seek State Assistance for Major Repair of Asparuhov Bridge

The Varna municipal administration and MPs from the seaside city will seek state assistance for a major repair of the Asparuhov Bridge, the press centre of the Varna Municipal Council said on Tuesday. 

The Municipal Council specified that the MPs have undertaken to organize a meeting with Regional Development and Public Works Minister Ivan Ivanov and the management of the Road Infrastructure Agency. The goal will be to include the repair of the bridge as a priority project for the agency and to conduct a full study of the facility, as well as to develop a technical project and conduct a public procurement for its major repair.

There is still no risk to those crossing the Asparuhov Bridge, the Varna Municipal Council emphasized, adding that experts' opinion is that it is generally in good technical condition and its structure is stable, but that in places the concrete cover is broken and there is corrosion of the reinforcement. The need to provide an alternative to the bridge for the time when major repairs take place was also stressed, as over 10,000 cars pass over the bridge daily. In addition, the southern regions of Varna with a population of 29,000 people would also be left without an adequate transport connection.

Therefore consideration should be given to building a second bridge over Varna Lake, or a tunnel under the canal, the Municipal Council noted, pointing out that in the short term, a ferry connection could be provided across the lake.