site.btaStruma Motorway Construction Advances as Legal Challenges End

Applications have been withdrawn and the relevant court proceedings challenging the legality of the construction of the last unfinished section of Struma Motorway through the Kresna Gorge have been terminated, the Road Infrastructure Agency said on Wednesday. Considering both the importance of completing the remaining part of the motorway and the importance of the gorge for the conservation of European wild flora, fauna and natural habitats with exceptional biodiversity, nature conservation organizations and the Bulgarian government have reached an agreement regarding the constructions of the Struma Motorway outside the Kresna Gorge.

This result was reached after an active dialogue and the signing of agreements between the Road Infrastructure Agency, the Ministry of Environment and Water, the Blagoevgrad Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water, and members of the Save Kresna Coalition who are applicants in the cases. The agreement was reached thanks to the joint efforts, constructive cooperation and commitment of the negotiating teams of the Road Infrastructure Agency, the Ministry, and NGOs. The agreements spell out the specific commitments of each of the parties, thus achieving real progress in the implementation of the project for the construction of the Struma Motorway section in the gorge. The aim is to permanently and completely move the transit traffic out of the Kresna Gorge and keep the I-1 (E79) road through the gorge as a local road.

Two areas of the European network of protected areas NATURA 2000 are located in the Kresna Gorge. The species and habitats protected in the area are vulnerable to the impact of infrastructure projects and the rapid completion of the Struma Motorway. The removal of transit traffic from the gorge has an important role to play in their conservation.

The Standing Committee of the Bern Convention adopted a decision on December 6, 2024, urging Bulgaria to make sure that the Struma Motorway, with both its carriageways, bypasses the Kresna Gorge to avoid harming its rich wildlife. The Committee reviews the highway case annually. At the 44th meeting of the Standing Committee, with the cooperation of the Bern Convention Secretariat, a convergence of the positions of the Bulgarian authorities and the complainants on cases related to the environmental aspects of the implementation of Lot 3.2 of the Struma Motorway was achieved. Within its terms of reference, the Committee recommended that the Bulgarian authorities focus on finding technically feasible solutions for the construction of the western lane of the Struma Motorway – the section from Sofia to the Kulata border control check point along a route that passes outside the territory of the Kresna Gorge.