2024-02-21 13:21:05
“Our expectations are that by 2027-28 the entire Struma highway will be completed. We expect good news next week.” This was said by the Minister of Regional Development Andrey Tsekov at the launch of traffic through the new “Zheleznitsa” tunnel on the “Struma” highway.
“At the moment, we have not decided anything until we take at least part of the route out of the gorge. The ministers have proposed to prepare the construction along the route outside the gorge, the so-called Eastern option, and in parallel to look for an option to move the other route outside the gorge. In the management program, we have clearly written down one goal – to build the remaining section as quickly as possible in the case of an option completely outside the gorge with maximum protection of biodiversity and without loss of European funds. After the negotiations we are conducting with the EC, there was a final meeting and next week we expect the conclusions. We have reached a reasonable compromise. In the medium term, we will work on the implementation of another route outside the gorge,” Minister Tsekov explained.
The opening ceremony was also attended by the President of the National Assembly Rosen Zhelyazkov, the Prime Minister Academician Nikolay Denkov, the Minister of Transport Georgi Gvozdeikov, Malina Kirova – adviser in the Representation of the European Commission in Bulgaria, representatives of the people, mayors of municipalities from the region, representatives of the Agency “Road infrastructure”, the contractor, construction supervision and others.
“Every day delay of the last section through the Kresna gorge poses a risk of accidents, injuries, lost human lives. We should not wait another 20 years for these 20 km. I hope that by 2028 tourists will travel on a normal European highway to the White Sea “said Prime Minister Denkov.
The Speaker of the Parliament, Rosen Zhelyazkov, touched on an expected problem after the launch of the new 5 km – that the traffic jams should be moved near Simitli, because the traffic from Greece and Bansko gathers there. “What are we doing with the Simitli bypass? How will the traffic jam be overcome so that it does not become a trap for travelers? When will the Struma highway finally be ready? Congratulations to the project developers, but here today there should have been other people, if we talk about continuity,” said the speaker of the parliament, probably referring to the former prime minister and GERB leader Boyko Borisov, during whose time construction had begun. However, the former regional minister Nikolay Nankov was at the celebration.
After the launch of the new 5 km of Struma AM, there are doubts that the traffic in the area will be eased, but the risk of traffic jams moving to Simitli remains real.
The “Railway” tunnel is about 2 km long and is the longest road tunnel ever built in our country. Together with the sections before and after it, a 5 km highway is put into operation. The tunnel has two separate tubes for movement. The facility has all safety systems, energy efficient lighting, ventilation, video surveillance, fire alarm, intelligent traffic management system, emergency SOS booths, electronic access control system, etc. Between the pipes there are four pedestrian cross connections and two more for cars on which ambulances, fire brigades and other specialized machines will be able to pass. In the event of a road accident or closure of one of the tubes, they will be used to safely evacuate passengers. A service road was also built at the southern portal of the tunnel from the Simitli side, a helicopter pad, two bridges over Sukha Reka, a retaining wall, etc. It was built according to the new Austrian method. During its construction, four icons of St. Ivan Rilski were embedded, as is the tradition in tunnel construction. Images of the saint are placed at the beginning and end of both pipes. The icons are not visible because they are covered when the secondary skin is built. The trust in the installation of the icons is that they protect the workers during the construction of the site, and then all travelers.
The helipad is approximately 410m from the southern portal of the 40m by 40m tunnel, will be able to take off and land medical helicopters up to 3,750 tonnes.
The delay in starting traffic was due to a landslide on both sides of the tunnel. On its northern side, it is quite serious and it was necessary to allocate additional funds for the strengthening, as the builder built a tunnel facility. 400 rock-cast piles with depths of up to 32 m, strengthening anchors with lengths of up to 34 m, about 3,500 tons of iron reinforcement were inserted and more than 80,000 cubic meters of concrete were poured. The purpose of the tunnel is to be a buttress to restrain and strengthen the landslide processes in the high part of the mountain slope above this part of the highway.