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

Grozdan Karadjov: Our goal is to reduce the number of road deaths by 20%

Twenty percent reduction in deaths and 20% reduction in road injuries. This goal was announced by Grozdan Karadjov after the end of the meeting on road safety and the fight against the war on the roads, convened by Prime Minister..

published on 4/9/25 8:39 AM

President Rumen Radev participates in the Delphi Economic Forum

President Rumen Radev will participate in the tenth edition of the Delphi Economic Forum in Greece on April 9 and 10. The event brings together heads of state and government, representatives of the business and non-governmental..

published on 4/9/25 7:05 AM

Tourism sector is looking for solutions for the lack of personnel

The personnel crisis in the tourism sector has reached critical levels, with various data indicating that up to 70% of tourist sites are understaffed. Economic losses from unrealized tourism potential are estimated at nearly 500..

published on 4/9/25 6:45 AM