Design and Construction Start of Dupnitsa – Blagoevgrad Section of Struma Мotorway
The Chairman of the Management Board of the Road Infrastructure Agency engineer Lazar Lazarov signed the contract for design and construction of Struma motorway, Lot 2, Dupnitca – Blagoevgrad section from km 322+000 to km 359+483.52. The project is co-financed by the EU Cohesion Fund and the state budget under Operational Programme „Transport“ 2007-2013.
The contract for design and construction of Lot 2 is in the amount of 298 935 000 BGN, VAT excluded. The contractor is Consortium Struma – Lot 2, Sofia (Impresa JSC, Rome, Italy, GBS Infrastructural Construction JSC, Sofia, Bulgaria and Patstroy–92 JSC, Sofia, Bulgaria). On behalf of the Consortium the contract was signed by engineer Georgi Harizanov.
The ceremony at the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works was attended by Minister Lilyana Pavlova, Mrs. Lazarinka Stoichkova and Mrs. Iliana Zaharieva - members of the Management Board of RIA, etc.
The section from Dupnitsa to Blagoevgrad is about 37 km long. It will be constructed on engineering principle – design and construction. The term for implementation is 22 months.
The alignment of Lot 2 is on the territory of the regions of Kyustendil and Blagoevgrad. The project includes construction of 4 road junctions: „Dupnitsa-Yug“ (with road II-62), „Boboshevo“ (with road III-104), „Kocherinovo“ and „Blagoevgrad“ (with road III-106). The project includes also construction of two tunnels, each one of which up to 500 m long. The tunnels are planned to be on the territory of the region of Kyustendil. Noise barriers will be installed between the motorway and the populated areas, agricultural underpasses and overpasses are also foreseen to be constructed.
The total length of Struma motorway – from Daskalovo to the Greek border is 150 km. It represents a part of Pan-European Transport Corridor №IV and the Trans-European Motorway „North – South”. The motorway carries the road traffic to Greece.
The construction of about 68,5 km of Struma motorway is funded by OP Transport 2007-2013. Lot 1 Dolna Dikanya – Dupntsa is 16,78 km long, Lot 2 Dupnitsa – Blagoevgrad – about 37 km and Lot 4 Sandanski – Kulata – 14,7 km. Lot 3 Blagoevgrad – Sandanski /about 64 km/ is planned for the next programming period 2014-2020.
On 26 February 2013 the European Commission has approved the Application Form for financing of Struma motorway in the amount of 342 MEURO (669 969 028,6 BGN). The grant under the EU Cohesion Fund is in the amount of 274 MEURO (535 975 222,9 BGN.). The Road Infrastructure Agency managed to motivate 80% grant from the EU funds, which is the maximum possible rate of co-financing.