Bulgaria restricts heavy truck traffic on Trakia and Struma motorways

The Road Infrastructure Agency has introduced temporary traffic restrictions for heavy goods vehicles exceeding 12 tons on the Trakia and Struma motorways, as well as through the Kresna Gorge. These measures aim to enhance road safety by reducing dangerous overtaking and long truck convoys during peak travel periods.

On Wednesday, August 21, the restriction applies from 16:00 to 20:00 for vehicles traveling toward Burgas and the Kulata border checkpoint. On Sunday, August 23, the same time window will apply to trucks traveling toward Sofia. Similar restrictions are scheduled to occur every Friday and Sunday through the end of August.

To alleviate congestion near Simitli, reversible lane traffic will be implemented on road I-1. On Friday, two lanes will be allocated toward Kulata and one toward Sofia; on Sunday, this will be reversed to provide two lanes toward Sofia and one toward Kulata.

Exemptions apply to public passenger transport, vehicles carrying dangerous goods, live animals, perishable goods, temperature-controlled cargo, specialized eco-caravans, and road maintenance vehicles. Additionally, the agency warned that extreme heat—with asphalt temperatures potentially exceeding 50 degrees Celsius—could lead to further restrictions for trucks over 20 tons in various regions.