Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Construction of the Hemus Motorway has been going on for half a century

Photo: BGNES

On October 4, 1974, the construction of the Hemus Motorway from Sofia to Varna started. Back then, the chairman of the State Council and leader of the Bulgarian Communist Party, Todor Zhivkov, turned the first sod for the country's northern transport axis. This was also the start of construction of the motorway ring in Bulgaria. The main designer of the route is engineer Dena Palankova, BTA recalls. 

By 1985, the difficult section with numerous tunnels and bridges passing through the Vitinia Pass was completed. The highest viaduct in Bulgaria (120 meters) is situated in this section. The planned length of the highway route is 418 km, which makes "Hemus" the longest motorway in Bulgaria, but currently 191 km are completed and in use. A new 7 km-long section is soon to be put in use.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Bulgarian household incomes outpace expenses in 2024: NSI data

The annual growth of incomes outpaced that of expenses in 2024. According to data from the National Statistical Institute, in 2024 the average annual total income per household member in Bulgaria reached 12,857 BGN (6,573.68 EUR) and increased by 18.5%..

published on 4/17/25 2:43 PM

The pig farming industry in Bulgaria is experiencing growth

The pig meat sector in Bulgaria is showing signs of growth. This was announced at the International Forum "Modern Trends in Pig Farming: Scientific, Market and Regulatory Aspects", held today in Stara Zagora. It was highlighted that 53% of the..

published on 4/15/25 3:18 PM

NSI: Agricultural net income down by 1.1% over the year

The total output at basic prices from the agriculture sector in 2024 amounts to €4,970.1 million, which is 7.9% less compared to the previous year.  This decline is due to two main factors: a 3.2% decrease in the quantity of agricultural..

published on 4/14/25 2:26 PM