The longest road tunnel in Europe will be built along the new 65 kilometre stretch of the Struma highway in Bulgaria. Two tunnels, totalling almost 37 kilometres, will be built underneath the Kresna gorge between the towns of Blagoevgrad and Sandanski.
The 150 kilometre Struma highway runs from the village of Daskalovo to the Greek border and is part of the Pan-European Transport Corridor IV and the Trans-European North-South Highway.
The tunnels are required for environmental reasons and will be dug 30 metres underground. The projected cost is US$1.3 billion.
“This is the longest tunnel facility in Europe and the second longest in the world,” said minister of Regional Development Desislava Terzieva. She also said that tenders for the construction will be issued by the middle of this year and will continue through 2014, and the Struma highway will be toll free.
The project also includes three helipads suitable for emergency evacuation, a control centre for servicing the two tunnels and the highway with winter maintenance equipment, ambulances, fire apparatus and surveillance cameras.
The 150 kilometre Struma highway runs from the village of Daskalovo to the Greek border and is part of the Pan-European Transport Corridor IV and the Trans-European North-South Highway.
The tunnels are required for environmental reasons and will be dug 30 metres underground. The projected cost is US$1.3 billion.
“This is the longest tunnel facility in Europe and the second longest in the world,” said minister of Regional Development Desislava Terzieva. She also said that tenders for the construction will be issued by the middle of this year and will continue through 2014, and the Struma highway will be toll free.
The project also includes three helipads suitable for emergency evacuation, a control centre for servicing the two tunnels and the highway with winter maintenance equipment, ambulances, fire apparatus and surveillance cameras.
