09.11.2019
"Like the Germans we can also say that the Berlin Wall between Bulgaria and the former Yugoslavia is falling today. As of today, Serbia has the port of Varna, the port of Burgas and there is no traffic lights to the center of Istanbul."
This is what Prime Minister Boyko Borissov stated at the official opening of the newly constructed section of the motorway from the Bulgarian border to the city of Nis, Serbia. The route is part of the Pan-European Transport Corridor No. 10. The Bulgarian Prime Minister was invited by the Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić for the opening.
"Today we connect Asia and Europe through Bulgaria and Serbia," Prime Minister Borissov underlined in front of the hundreds of guests at the ceremony. The Prime Minister emphasized that the whole Bulgarian industry could use this route towards Western Europe and offered his congratulations on its opening.
"Bulgaria is closer today than ever, so thank you Prime Minister Boyko Borissov," the Serbian President Vučić told the Bulgarian Prime Minister. Vučić noted that Serbia will also connect with fraternal Bulgaria through the Balkan Stream. "Without neighbors - the house cannot be protected. With our Bulgarian neighbors - our path is open. Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said that Serbia has access to the ports of Varna and Burgas as of today. And he is welcome - both in Pirot and Nis," the Serbian president also told the Bulgarian Prime Minister and his delegation.
Prior to the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Borissov and President Vučić discussed the progress on important infrastructure projects for the region. "There is no traffic light from Belgrade to Burgas. There is no traffic light from Belgrade to Istanbul. And now we are working on not having traffic lights from Burgas to Varna. And whomever is on this side turns right in Sofia and reaches Thessaloniki via the Struma Motorway, the Bulgarian Prime Minister said. The Serbian president praised what the Bulgarian government has done.
The route, which the Serbian President and the Bulgarian Prime Minister have opened today, is 86.9 km long, with construction work beginning in 2011. The project is worth EUR 476 million, with funding from the European Investment Bank, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the World Bank.
The constructed route includes 87 bridges, 5 tunnels (Bantsarevo, Sopot, Sarlah, the Prajna slope and Proton with a total length of 2.6 km) and 5 cloverleaf interchanges. 290,000 cubic meters of concrete, 37,000 tons of reinforcement and about 780,000 tons of asphalt were used in the construction of the site. This highway will connect the two districts - Nis and Pirot, with a population of about 450,000, and will provide easier connection to Eastern Serbia with the nearest Constantine the Great airport in Nis.
The commissioning of the route from the Bulgarian border to Nis or the so-called "Eastern Branch" completes the construction of the entire section of transport corridor No. 10 through the territory of Serbia.
