Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Zheleznitsa, longest tunnel in Bulgaria opens to traffic

Zheleznitsa tunnel
Photo: BGNES

With an official ceremony, Zheleznitsa tunnel on Struma motorway was opened to traffic. The tunnel is 2 kms. long, and it is the longest tunnel built in the country. Struma motorway is part of the Orient/East–Med Corridor, linking Vidin with Kulata, catering to the traffic to Greece. It is the shortest route between Western and Central Europe towards Thessaloniki and the Aegean Sea, connecting Europe with Asia. Sofia is expecting a positive response by the European Commission, within a fortnight, regarding the last section of the motorway across Kresna Gorge. “The proposal is for it to pass East of the gorge,” said Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Andrey Tsekov, and added that an optimistic deadline for the completion of Struma motorway would be 2028.

Mayors of municipalities adjacent to the motorway demanded the construction, as a matter of urgency, of an additional road link to Simitly, where traffic towards Bansko-Gotze Delchev-Greece can be diverted to avoid congestion after the new tunnel Zheleznitsa.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Week starts with snow and freezing temperatures

On Monday there will be snow showers or a mix of rain and snow in many places. The precipitation will decrease and stop, and the clouds will clear in the evening. The minimum temperature will be minus 3°C, around minus 1°C in Sofia, and the maximum will..

published on 4/6/25 6:05 PM

After the fire: Emergency break for students at the National School of Applied Arts in Tryavna

After a fire destroyed the roof of the historic National High School of Applied Arts in Tryavna  on Friday morning, students are taking a week-long emergency break. With the help of the fire brigade, civil protection teams and local businesses, the..

published on 4/6/25 5:33 PM

Police continue large-scale inspections of dangerous road sections

The large-scale inspection, carried out by the competent police structures of the National Police Directorate and the regional directorates of the Interior Ministry, will continue next week to get the full picture - where, what and how many are the..

published on 4/6/25 4:01 PM