Pamporovo landslide and road infrastructure crisis

The mountain resort of Pamporovo in Bulgaria is facing logistical and economic threats following a massive landslide that destroyed a section of the main road connecting the resort to Smolyan. While the state has allocated over 9 million euros to build a 108-meter bridge, the timeline for this project remains uncertain.

In the interim, access to the resort relies on a precarious emergency route. Local business leaders and officials have expressed concern that the gravel path will be unsafe during winter conditions. Stefan Prisadov, CEO of Pamporovo AD, noted that the accessibility issues have already caused a 12-14% decline in summer bookings.

To manage the situation, Smolyan Mayor Nikolay Melemov has finalized a traffic regime for the emergency road for the upcoming winter season. Travel will be permitted from Smolyan toward Pamporovo between 6:00 and 13:00, with opposite-direction travel allowed from 13:30 to 6:00. Officials determined that installing traffic lights is not a suitable solution at this stage.

The municipality has committed to asphalt paving a section of the road, though approximately 300,000 euros are required for full paving. To support winter operations, Regional Governor Georgi Pelanov assured that the state will provide a new snow-clearing machine to remain in the area. Additionally, Marin Kushev, Director of the Regional Road Management in Smolyan, announced plans to reinforce 70 collapsed sections in the region, including priority areas on the Stoyki-Pamporovo route, to ensure readiness before winter.