Romania plans Moldovei highway to Ukraine; Bulgaria develops Ruse-Veliko Tarnovo road, impacting regional transport links.
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Romania is building a high-speed road to Ukraine via Moldova, while Bulgaria plans an expressway connecting Ruse to Sofia and extending south towards Greece. These routes are significant for Romania, offering fast connections between capitals and aiding both freight and seasonal tourism to Greece. Bulgaria’s current plan includes a 133 km highway from Ruse to Veliko Tarnovo as part of Pan-European Corridor 9. Initial sections have contracts but construction has not started, with the completion of the road starting near Romania projected for 2030, before Romania can achieve comparable infrastructure improvements like a high-speed road to Giurgiu or a new Danube bridge.
In contrast, Romania is only beginning feasibility studies for a high-speed connection between Bucharest and Giurgiu, which would link to a future bridge over the Danube. The study aims to determine the route and technical solutions, with an optimistic completion date of 2030, though a more realistic timeframe is 2033–2035.
Bulgaria has already contracted initial sections of the Ruse-Veliko Tarnovo highway, but delays persist due to issues like unstable soil. Local residents in Ruse are protesting these delays and demanding government action. The final section from Veliko Tarnovo onwards involves high costs and political controversy. From Veliko Tarnovo, the road is planned to connect to the ongoing Hemus motorway towards Sofia, with further southern extensions planned through Stara Zagora to link with Turkey and eventually Greece via Kardzhali.
