site.btaDesign Work Begins on Final Section of Sofia Ring Road's Southwestern Arc

Starting Friday, intensive design work begins to complete the project for Sofia Ring Road's southwestern arc and subsequently the entire route, Regional Development and Public Works Minister Ivan Shishkov told a joint briefing with Environment and Water Minister Rositsa Karamfilova.

She said that she had signed a decision green-lighting the completion of the final section of the southwestern arc. According to her, the decision concludes the environmental review procedure and allows the project to move to the next stage of implementation. She noted that the project dates back to the early 2000s but had seen little real progress for years.

Shishkov said the section concerned was eight kilometres long. He added that the cost of construction could not yet be estimated because the design phase had not been completed, while the timeline for implementation would be determined after further analysis.

“This route is extremely important not only for Sofia,” Shishkov noted.

He added that infrastructure projects were beginning to move forward, with designs being prepared for all planned projects, construction set to start on those ready to proceed, and ongoing works to be completed. Shishkov also recalled that construction had recently begun on the “forgotten” motorway linking Ruse and Byala.