site.btaContract Finally Signed for Design and Construction of Shipka Tunnel

A contract was finally signed Wednesday to design and build the last section of a bypass around the town of Gabrovo, Central Bulgaria and a tunnel through the Balkan Range under Mt Shipka. Gabrovo Regional Governor Ralitsa Manolova called it "a memorable event for the entire country".

A relevant procedure under the Public Procurement Act began in 2019 but was delayed because it was challenged in court.

The project is a priority under the new Transport Connectivity Programme 2021-2027, which is pending approval from the European Commission.

A design and construction contract and a construction supervision contract were signed by Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA) Managing Board Chair Todor Vassilev and the contractors. The design and construction will be carried out by DZZD Consortium PSVT, which comprises Patni Stroezhi Veliko Tarnovo AD, Hydrostroy AD and Patingeneringstroy EAD. The contract is worth BGN 358,020,000, inclusive of VAT, and its duration is 240 days (8 months) for the design part and 1,280 days (3.5 years) for the construction part. Construction supervision is entrusted to DZZD Transconsult – Sveko AD under a contract worth 6,479,935 leva, inclusive of VAT, the Gabrovo Regional Administration said.

The plan is to build an 8 km road, rehabilitate 2.6 km of the existing road between Gabrovo and Kazanlak, and build five tunnels totalling 4 km in length. The tunnel under Mt Shipka will be 3.2 km long, and the other four will be, respectively, 171 m, 240 m, 90 m and 290 m. The project includes the construction of 6 bridges, 1 underpass, 12 reinforced embankments, 1 supporting wall and 1 reinforcement wall.

The Shipka tunnel will be 1 km west of the Shipka Pass and 1 km east of Mt Malusha. Its northern segment will be in Gabrovo Region and its southern part will be in Stara Zagora Region. It will have a two-lane road, two guiding strips and two sidewalks.

The tunnel will be an important facility taking traffic from the north of Bulgaria to the south. The main routes it will service are Ruse - Veliko Tarnovo - Shipka - Stara Zagora - Svilengrad (Makaza), and Oryahovo - Sevlievo - Mt Shipka - Stara Zagora - Svilengrad (Makaza).

The contracts were signed at RIA Headquarters in the presence of senior executives of the contractor companies, Deputy Regional Development and Public Works Minister Dilyana Ivanova, MPs from the Gabrovo constituency, members of the National Assembly Regional Development Committee and deputy mayors of Gabrovo.