Larger queues of waiting trucks, an even more difficult crossing of the border and overall, a complete blockage of traffic now seems inevitable at the Danube Bridge. The reason - a long-awaited repair, which should replace the worn asphalt, and countless irregularities and holes on the Bulgarian side of the bridge. Meanwhile, the Romanian side was renovated years ago, in 2015.
The facility, which was built back in the 1950s, has exceeded its capacity to handle heavy traffic many times over, and has not once been overhauled. After more than a year of developing the technical project, the Road Infrastructure Agency has finally announced a public tender for the selection of a contractor for the major repair of the bridge between Ruse and Gyurghevo on the I-2 road. The repair works will last at least two years, and during that time, traffic will only be allowed in stages via one lane of traffic. And since there is no ferry, the repairs can only mean huge traffic jams, economic losses for transport operators, reduced accessibility to Bucharest airport and a new barrier between Bulgaria and Romania.
For the first time in history - a major repair
Major repairs of the Danube Bridge have never been carried out. More than 22 years ago, the joints were strengthened, and in 2011, the waterproofing and the asphalt pavement were replaced, according to the RIA. The technical project foresees a major repair of the facility, a complete replacement of the asphalt pavement, the panels, waterproofing, new safety fences, restriction systems, markings, etc.
The route on Bulgarian territory has a total length of 1057 meters and has two traffic lanes. An important clarification is that the railway route on the bridge is not within the scope of the current repair, so there will be no changes made to it.
Bidders can submit bids until September 28, 2023, and the estimated time for the renovation is 730 calendar days. It will start running immediately after signing a contract with the contractor. If there are no appeals, this could happen as early as the end of this year.
The indicative value of the order is nearly BGN 21 million without VAT, although it may end up being higher. However, the amount does not seem impressive based on the recent renovation by the Romanian side, which cost a total of 30 million euros in 2015 and the massive inflation since then in the construction sector, which suggests that only cosmetic improvements will be made.
Repairs will be financed by the state. The order is planned to be executed under the "Major Repair" program. The main award criterion is "the most economically advantageous offer".
Candidates are also expected to have the necessary capacity to work on these activities and experience with similar projects.
How will traffic (not) be managed?
Residents of Ruse still remember the logjams during the repair of the Romanian part of the bridge 8-9 years ago. Back then, traffic was unmanageable, queues reached the city ring road, and many passengers regularly missed flights from Bucharest due to poor traffic management.
Now, however, the situation may be even worse, because the passenger flow and the freight flow have increased significantly and traffic is even denser since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to unofficial information from the border police in Ruse, during the execution of the repair works, traffic on the Danube Bridge will not be completely stopped, but will be organized in one lane. Passing vehicles will be able to move in each direction for 10-15 mins at a time.
There is no question of redirecting the traffic because it is huge and no other point could even partially absorb it. The Council of Ministers is delaying the authorization of the launch of the Ruse-Gyurghevo ferry line. As for Danube Bridge 2 near Vidin - connecting infrastructure there is the problem. Meanwhile, the Botevgrad - Vidin road is still under construction and redirecting the tracks there can only further delay its launch.
Larger queues of waiting trucks, an even more difficult crossing of the border and overall, a complete blockage of traffic now seems inevitable at the Danube Bridge. The reason - a long-awaited repair, which should replace the worn asphalt, and countless irregularities and holes on the Bulgarian side of the bridge. Meanwhile, the Romanian side was renovated years ago, in 2015.
The facility, which was built back in the 1950s, has exceeded its capacity to handle heavy traffic many times over, and has not once been overhauled. After more than a year of developing the technical project, the Road Infrastructure Agency has finally announced a public tender for the selection of a contractor for the major repair of the bridge between Ruse and Gyurghevo on the I-2 road. The repair works will last at least two years, and during that time, traffic will only be allowed in stages via one lane of traffic. And since there is no ferry, the repairs can only mean huge traffic jams, economic losses for transport operators, reduced accessibility to Bucharest airport and a new barrier between Bulgaria and Romania.
