Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications

A total of 23,365 vehicles have passed in both directions on the "New Europe" bridge  at Vidin – Calafat in 15 days said the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Danail Papazov in a television interview today. If this rate is maintained for the first year of its operation about 150 thousand vehicles more than the initially estimated will pass.

Minister Danail Papazov stressed that this traffic and the project as a whole, create preconditions for improving the living conditions and can create job opportunities for more than 50 000 people living in Vidin, Vratsa and Montana.

He added that after the opening of "New Europe" bridge, an increase of the traffic on the Sofia - Vidin road is expected. In this regard, the preparation (planning of the Vidin - Montana road) is funded within this programming period of the Operational Programme "Transport", and funds for its construction will be seeked within the next programming period. OP "Transport" provides funds for the construction of the bypass roads of Vratsa and Montana.

Minister Papazov outlined the priority projects that will seek European funding within the next programming period, emphasizing that one of them should be the "Black Sea" highway. It can take the traffic between the two major ports and economic centers - Istanbul and Constanta. Currently, more than 200 million tons of cargo between the two ports bypass Bulgaria due to the absence of a highway.