Hemus motorway - construction - start

The construction of the Hemus motorway intended to connect Sofia and the Black Sea city of Varna began on October 4, 1974. The first sod was turned by the first secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party's Central Committee, Todor Zhivkov, near the village of Yana, Sofia Region. With a planned length of 418 km, it will be the longest motorway in Bulgaria once it is completed. Currently, only 191 km of it are completed and operational. The decision for construction of the motorway was taken at the 10th Congress of the Bulgarian Communist Party held between April 20 and 25, 1971. Along with debates on a new Constitution and changes in the party’s statute, it was agreed to proceed with the construction of a motorway ring of Bulgaria comprising the Hemus motorway in Northern Bulgaria, the Trakia motorway in Southern Bulgaria, and the Cherno More (Black Sea) motorway, which is planned to link Varna and Burgas.
The photos offer a snapshot from various stages of the construction in the 1976-1984 period
BTA Photo by Plamen Petrov

The construction of the Hemus motorway intended to connect Sofia and the Black Sea city of Varna began on October 4, 1974. The first sod was turned by the first secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party's Central Committee, Todor Zhivkov, near the village of Yana, Sofia Region. With a planned length of 418 km, it will be the longest motorway in Bulgaria once it is completed. Currently, only 191 km of it are completed and operational. The decision for construction of the motorway was taken at the 10th Congress of the Bulgarian Communist Party held between April 20 and 25, 1971. Along with debates on a new Constitution and changes in the party’s statute, it was agreed to proceed with the construction of a motorway ring of Bulgaria comprising the Hemus motorway in Northern Bulgaria, the Trakia motorway in Southern Bulgaria, and the Cherno More (Black Sea) motorway, which is planned to link Varna and Burgas.
The photos offer a snapshot from various stages of the construction in the 1976-1984 period
BTA Photo by Dimitar Bozhinov

The construction of the Hemus motorway intended to connect Sofia and the Black Sea city of Varna began on October 4, 1974. The first sod was turned by the first secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party's Central Committee, Todor Zhivkov, near the village of Yana, Sofia Region. With a planned length of 418 km, it will be the longest motorway in Bulgaria once it is completed. Currently, only 191 km of it are completed and operational. The decision for construction of the motorway was taken at the 10th Congress of the Bulgarian Communist Party held between April 20 and 25, 1971. Along with debates on a new Constitution and changes in the party’s statute, it was agreed to proceed with the construction of a motorway ring of Bulgaria comprising the Hemus motorway in Northern Bulgaria, the Trakia motorway in Southern Bulgaria, and the Cherno More (Black Sea) motorway, which is planned to link Varna and Burgas.
The photos offer a snapshot from various stages of the construction in the 1976-1984 period.
BTA Photo by Rossen Bratoev