site.btaHeavy Snowfall Causes Traffic Difficulties

Heavy Snowfall Causes Traffic Difficulties

Sofia, November 29 (BTA) - Heavy snowfall has caused traffic problems in various parts of Bulgaria Tuesday.

The national road network is navigable in snowy conditions, the Road Infrastructure Agency said. The regional road administrations and the snow clearing companies have been working around the clock, with 3,120 vehicles available for winter road cleaning.

The Petrohan Pass in the Balkan Range and the road linking Yundola and Belovo in Southern Bulgaria are closed to over-12-tonne trucks. Over-10-tonne trucks cannot go through the Troyan pass (the II-35 Troyan-Kurnare) in the Balkan Range and the Vratnik and Tvurdishki passes. Over-3.5-tonne trucks cannot drive through the Dyulinski and Pamporovo passes. Dyulinski and Vurbishki passes are closed to all motor vehicles around the year.

Trucks with trailers and semi-trailers cannot drive on the Batak-Dospat and Belovo-Yundola roads in Southern Bulgaria.

Snowfall was reported all through Kyustendil Region in Western Bulgaria by road maintenance crews, the snow cover being thickest at 8 centimetres in the Osogovo Mountain. The snow cover in Montana Region (N.W.) is about 10 cm in the mountain and about 4 cm in the plain; between 3 and 5 cm in Turgovishte (N.E.); and 8 cm in Vidin (N.W.).

Sofia's homeless shelters have opened two days early, Mayor Yordanka Fandakova said.