Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Construction of the Hemus Motorway has been going on for half a century

Photo: BGNES

On October 4, 1974, the construction of the Hemus Motorway from Sofia to Varna started. Back then, the chairman of the State Council and leader of the Bulgarian Communist Party, Todor Zhivkov, turned the first sod for the country's northern transport axis. This was also the start of construction of the motorway ring in Bulgaria. The main designer of the route is engineer Dena Palankova, BTA recalls. 

By 1985, the difficult section with numerous tunnels and bridges passing through the Vitinia Pass was completed. The highest viaduct in Bulgaria (120 meters) is situated in this section. The planned length of the highway route is 418 km, which makes "Hemus" the longest motorway in Bulgaria, but currently 191 km are completed and in use. A new 7 km-long section is soon to be put in use.



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

Bulgarian-Greek business forum opens in Sofia

A Bulgarian-Greek Business Forum with the participation of nearly 60 companies from both countries has opened today in Sofia . The forum is organized by the Bulgarian-Greek Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and..

published on 2/27/25 3:41 PM

How smart micro-installations can help Bulgarian households save on electricity bills

Bulgaria has favorable climatic conditions for producing electricity from the su n, even in the transitional seasons of spring and autumn. One of the cities with the best conditions for using photovoltaic systems is Dupnitsa. The southwestern..

published on 2/27/25 2:32 PM

The average annual salary in Bulgaria increases by 13.9%

In 2024, the average gross annual salary in Bulgaria is 27,881 BGN (EUR 14,255), according to preliminary data from the National Statistical Institute. Compared to 2023, this marks an increase of 13.9% , with the public sector seeing an increase of..

published on 2/26/25 3:40 PM