site.btaProtests Held Across Bulgaria over Road Conditions, Traffic Fatalities

A series of civic protests against poor road infrastructure and what participants describe as a “war on the roads” were held in the Bulgarian towns of Elhovo, Cherven Bryag, Montana and Dobrich. The demonstrations were police-monitored and in some cases led to temporary traffic disruptions or road blockages.

Residents of Elhovo protested over the condition of international road I-7, which links Yambol with the Lessovo border checkpoint. Participants gathered at one of the town’s exits and briefly blocked traffic at a junction leading to the main road, chanting “We want a road” and waving Bulgarian flags. Placards read “Bad roads kill” and “We are waiting for a road, not a death stretch.”

The protest was organized through the Facebook group “My Elhovo” and was filed by a private citizen rather than a political party, the municipal administration said. The initial intention had been to hold the protest on the I-7 itself, but this was not permitted by the Yambol Regional Road Administration for safety reasons.

Organizer Gabriela Gecheva told reporters that protesters are demanding a full overhaul rather than partial patchwork repairs. According to her, the road has not undergone major rehabilitation since 2011–2012. “We are not talking about discomfort, but about a risk to people’s lives,” she said, adding that the protest is entirely civic and will continue every Sunday until concrete measures are taken.

The head of the Yambol Regional Road Administration told BTA that a repair project is being prepared for a 12-kilometre section between the Karavelovo junction and Elhovo. For the remaining approximately 90 kilometres of road I-7 within Yambol Region, patching with cold asphalt mix is currently under way due to numerous potholes formed after heavy rainfall and snowmelt.

In Cherven Bryag, citizens gathered in front of the municipal building to protest against road fatalities and against a court decision to release on bail the driver charged in the crash that killed former mayor Dr Tsvetan Kostadinov. The protest was organized by the father of 12-year-old Siyana, who died in a road accident near the village of Telish on March 31 last year. The municipal administration confirmed that notification of the protest had been submitted.

“We want justice for Siyana, for Dr Kostadinov and for all those who lost their lives in the senseless war on the roads,” the organizer wrote on social media. At the end of January, a protest blocked for more than two hours a section of the Byala–Botevgrad road between the villages of Gorni Dabnik and Telish. The Road Infrastructure Agency recently announced that flexible delineators are being installed between Telish and Radomirtsi to separate traffic directions and limit dangerous overtaking.

In Montana, residents protested against deteriorating road conditions and what they described as inadequate penalties for drivers responsible for serious crashes. Participants gathered with their cars at the Ogosta Stadium parking lot, placed signs reading “We will no longer tolerate this. Bulgaria is ours” on their vehicles, and proceeded in a motorcade through city streets. They later blocked the E-79 international road towards Vratsa and Sofia for about 20 minutes, causing queues of cars and heavy trucks in both directions.

One of the organizers, Aleksandra Nelova, said the protest was the third held in memory of Lyubomir Aleksiev, who died in a road accident on January 27. According to participants, the stretch of the E-79 between Montana and Vratsa is heavily trafficked and riddled with potholes, creating conditions for serious incidents.

Residents of the Riltsi district in Dobrich also staged a protest over severely damaged streets following water supply and sewerage works and the lack of restoration of the road surface. The demonstration was held on the central Dobrudzha Boulevard, temporarily disrupting traffic towards Silistra.

Organizer Radka Koleva said that for three years streets in the district have remained in poor condition after excavation works. “Cars are sinking into the holes, and after rainfall it becomes impossible to pass,” she said, adding that complaints have been filed with institutions but no effective action has followed. Protesters are demanding full repair of streets and sidewalks in the district.