Bulgaria road network faces maintenance and heat restrictions

Bulgaria is experiencing significant traffic disruptions and safety concerns due to ongoing road maintenance, extreme heat, and recent accidents. The Road Infrastructure Agency (API) has implemented various traffic restrictions on major motorways.

On the Hemus Motorway, maintenance includes vegetation removal and cleaning of bridge expansion joints, leading to lane restrictions in several sections, including the Vitinya Tunnel. On the Trakia Motorway, works involving mowing, cleaning drainage ditches, and replacing toll system cameras are causing lane limitations and restricted access to emergency lanes.

Due to extreme summer temperatures, authorities have implemented phased bans on heavy trucks exceeding 20 tons in the Ruse, Veliko Tarnovo, Plovdiv, and Stara Zagora regions during afternoon hours to prevent asphalt deformation. Additionally, the Ministry of Interior reported 20 serious traffic accidents resulting in one death and 22 injuries over a 24-hour period, alongside dozens of fires triggered by high temperatures.