site.btaWorld Bank to Advise Bulgaria's Road Infrastructure Agency on Developing Road Infrastructure Development Strategy

The Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA) and the World Bank will partner in the development of Bulgaria's Road Infrastructure Development Strategy until 2030. The document was signed by RIA Board Chairman Eng. Yordan Valchev and the World Bank's Permanent Representative for Bulgaria, Czech Republic and Slovakia, Lasse Melgaard, RIA's press centre said on Tuesday. 

The project is worth BGN 7,971,871 and is co-financed by the EU Cohesion Fund and Bulgaria's State Budget through the Transport Connectivity Programme 2021-2027, Priority 5 Technical Assistance.

The collaboration will contribute to strategic planning and long-term development of the road sector, with the Bank's experts providing analysis, expertise and best practices. The agreement is for a period of 30 months and includes activities related to the preparation of the Road Infrastructure Development Strategy aimed at developing sustainable road infrastructure, integrating the national network into the European network, enhancing road infrastructure safety and effective road sector management, and providing recommendations for improving the e-toll system and for road users in relation to electronic toll collection.

The activities under the agreement between API and the World Bank are categorized into three components:

• Consulting for the preparation of the Road Infrastructure Development Strategy in the Republic of Bulgaria 2024-2030;
• Consulting and information provision to API regarding implementation of the road strategy and improvement of institutional efficiency;
• Consulting to improve revenue generation strategies for the Bulgarian road network.

The project's implementation will contribute to better management of the road sector and greater efficiency and sustainability in the use of funds for the construction, modernization and maintenance of road infrastructure, the press release said.