Over 80% of the road barriers on the national road network in Bulgaria do not meet current safety standards. This is shown by a response from the “Road Infrastructure“ Agency (API) to bTV.
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According to data from the road agency, a total of 16,171 kilometers of restraint systems need to be replaced, with the largest part of them on intercity roads.
The distribution by road category shows that the following are planned for replacement:
over 1,000 kilometers of restraint systems on motorways;
2,306 kilometers on the first-class road network;
over 3,200 kilometers on second-class roads;
nearly 9,500 kilometers on third-class roads.
A bTV inspection of several risky sections shows that in many places the protective equipment is heavily depreciated, rusty or missing.
Among the problematic sections is the first-class road between Veliko Tarnovo and Debelets, which is among the 36 sections with a concentration of serious accidents. The plan to secure it includes replacing the road signs, markings and some of the damaged guardrails. According to auto expert Krasimir Yordanov, however, there are doubts whether the restraining systems used could hold a heavy truck in the event of a collision.
There are also problems on the second-class road between Sofia and Samokov, especially in the area of the Iskar dam. In places, the guardrails are heavily corroded, too low or completely missing. On the third-class road between Samokov and Malyovitsa, one of the bridges lacks safety equipment, and the railing is in poor condition.
The mayor of the village of Beli Iskar, Blagovest Bichakov, points out that road accidents often occur in the area, although most are not serious. According to him, drivers often fail to take a turn and go off the road.
The RIA indicates that by 2034 all restraint systems on the republican road network must be brought into line with current safety standards.
The agency adds that the replacement is being carried out in stages, with priority being given to sections with a high concentration of accidents and routes on which major repairs have been carried out. An example is the “Trakia“ motorway, where currently nearly 65% of the guardrails have already been modernized and meet the latest requirements.
Intensified inspections on the roads continue after the series of serious accidents with victims caused by heavy goods vehicles. In just one hour today, three trucks were stopped from driving due to dangerously worn tires.
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Other serious violations were also found during the inspections – three heavy goods vehicles were without a valid annual technical inspection, and two more had significant technical defects.
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Throughout the day, police teams in Sliven carried out increased control on the “Trakia“ highway and on the main roads in the region. In addition to trucks, drivers of passenger cars were also checked, and various violations were found in them.
At the same time, the national toll administration reported a sharp increase in violations of the average speed. In the last 10 days alone, the number of detected violators is nearly three times higher than usual.
Since the beginning of the month, the TOLL system has also been sending the Ministry of Interior data on drivers of heavy goods vehicles who perform prohibited overtaking. In 23 days, 2,673 such violations have been detected, which means an average of 116 risky maneuvers per day.
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Since the TOLL cameras began to control the average speed – 10 months ago, over 90 thousand cases of excessive speed have been detected. The most violations were registered on the Sofia Ring Road, as well as in the sections near Vakarel and Tsalapitsa on the “Trakia“ highway.
The data for the period from July 14 to 23 are particularly alarming. During these ten days, the cameras recorded 9,064 speeding violations - an average of over 900 violations per day. Usually, their number is between 200 and 300 per day, which indicates a nearly threefold increase in cases of dangerous driving.