site.btaRoad Infrastructure Agency Director Warns that Delay in Construction of Road via Kresna Gorge will Be Fatal for Human Life, Nature

Road Infrastructure Agency Director Warns that Delay in Construction of Road via Kresna Gorge will Be Fatal for Human Life, Nature

Sofia, August 25 (BTA) - Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA) Director Lazar Lazarov warned in a TV broadcast Thursday that the delay in the construction of the road via the Kresna Gorge, Southwestern Bulgaria, will be of fatal consequences for human lives and nature.

A solution for this section of the road, part of the Strouma motorway, and a stretch with a very high road accident incidence, has been sought for decades. Various options have been considered, including a 15 km-long tunnel or a two-level road, which however were discarded for environmental concerns and due to the fact that the area is earthquake-prone, Lazarov said.

On Thursday he discussed the latest option proposed by RIA. "We think this option is the most balanced one which will allow us to have a safe and conflict-free road via the Kresna Gorge by 2020," Lazarov said.

The proposed solution was first presented six months ago. According to it, traffic from Kresna to Simitli will use the current road which will be rehabilitated while traffic in the opposite direction, from Simitli to Kresna, will be along a new road passing via the Kresna Gorge, to the east of the existing road. The new road will be with two lanes, three lanes uphill, and five short tunnels. The two roads will be mutually alternative in the event of accidents. The plan is to first built the new road and then rehabilitate the existing one.