site.bta100,000 Vehicles Expected to Leave Sofia for Christmas, Restrictions Planned for Over-12-Tonne Trucks

Around 100,000 vehicles are expected to leave Sofia for the upcoming Christmas holidays, the Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA) reported on Monday. The highest number of vehicles is anticipated on the Trakia Motorway – around 35,000, followed by about 20,000 on Hemus, 20,000 on Struma, and 10,000 on the Europe Motorway. RIA urged drivers to travel carefully, maintain appropriate speeds, follow traffic rules, and set off in vehicles prepared for winter conditions.

Traffic for trucks with gross weight of over 12 tonnes leaving Sofia will be restricted on the Trakia, Struma, and Hemus motorways in connection with the upcoming holidays, the agency added. To improve traffic safety during the expected heavy flows on Tuesday, December 23, over-12-tonne trucks leaving the capital will be barred between 14:00 hrs and 20:00 hrs off the full length of the Trakia and Struma motorways, and on Hemus between Sofia and the Dermanzi junction in Lovech Region. The aim is to facilitate travel for cars and increase capacity on the busiest routes, reducing the risk of accidents caused by improper overtaking and long lines of heavy trucks.

On December 30, truck traffic from Sofia will be halted from 14:00 hrs to 20:00 hrs.

On January 4, the last day of the New Year holidays, the ban on vehicles over 12 tonnes will apply from 12:00 to 20:00 for traffic heading towards Sofia. The restriction does not apply to vehicles carrying passengers on public transport. On the Hemus and Struma motorways, the ban does not cover over-12-tonne vehicles carrying dangerous goods (ADR), live animals, perishable food, temperature-controlled goods, or specialized carcass disposal trucks.

On the Trakia Motorway, between the Ihtiman junction (34 km from Sofia) and the Vakarel junction (23 km from Sofia), the ban will not apply to over-12-tonne trucks heading towards the capital if they carry dangerous goods (ADR).

On December 23 and 24, in the southwestern Blagoevgrad region, reversible traffic will be introduced on the I-1/E-79 Sofia – Kulata section, at the junction of the first-class road with the Struma motorway and the Simitli junction, between 10:00 hrs and 20:00 hrs. On these two days, two lanes will be available towards Kulata and one lane towards Sofia. Depending on traffic volume and the assessment of the Traffic Police, other changes to traffic organization may be implemented to facilitate travel and ensure safety.

Drivers can also use other national roads as alternative routes, while respecting existing traffic regulations, RIA noted.