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Daily commuters from Botevgrad to Sofia now face a four‑hour one‑way journey, a delay that has been exacerbated by recent road closures on the Hemus motorway. On Monday, the municipal mayor of Botevgrad, engineer Angel Zilanov, ordered the temporary closure of the Arabakunak passage, a detour route that had been intended to relieve traffic on the Topli Dol tunnel during its ongoing repairs. The passage will remain closed until 10 a.m. on Wednesday. The closure is part of preparatory work that includes clearing overgrown vegetation and surveying the terrain to determine the repair and restoration work required for the municipal road to be safely used as a detour. This is the second consecutive temporary restriction on the Arabakunak passage. The previous order, issued on 23 October, closed the passage for the entire weekend and until 8 a.m. on Monday. The Topli Dol tunnel’s pipe heading toward Sofia is scheduled for major reconstruction that will continue until next year, with only a brief interruption during the Christmas‑New Year period. Other tunnels that had been used for heavy‑traffic traffic via the Vitiya route were ultimately destroyed, leaving the Arabakunak passage as the preferred alternative. Regional Minister Ivan Shishkov explained that the Vitiya route requires reinforcement of a retaining wall, a task that would take significantly longer. “Repairing the Arabakunak passage can be completed in about twenty days if weather conditions permit,” he said. The repair work will be carried out by the same company that is reconstructing the tunnel. Residents of Botevgrad and the surrounding region have expressed frustration with the extended commute. “We are ready to organize a protest next week if traffic is not eased,” said a spokesperson for the local commuters, citing that at certain times the one‑way trip to Sofia can take up to four hours. The Association of Public Infrastructure ( Article source: 24 Chasa | Image credit: 24 Chasa
Daily commuters from Botevgrad to Sofia now face a four‑hour one‑way journey, a delay that has been exacerbated by recent road closures on the Hemus motorway. On Monday, the municipal mayor of Botevgrad, engineer Angel Zilanov, ordered the temporary closure of the Arabakunak passage, a detour route that had been intended to relieve traffic on the Topli Dol tunnel during its ongoing repairs. The passage will remain closed until 10 a.m. on Wednesday. The closure is part of preparatory work that includes clearing overgrown vegetation and surveying the terrain to determine the repair and restoration work required for the municipal road to be safely used as a detour. This is the second consecutive temporary restriction on the Arabakunak passage. The previous order, issued on 23 October, closed the passage for the entire weekend and until 8 a.m. on Monday. The Topli Dol tunnel’s pipe heading toward Sofia is scheduled for major reconstruction that will continue until next year, with only a brief interruption during the Christmas‑New Year period. Other tunnels that had been used for heavy‑traffic traffic via the Vitiya route were ultimately destroyed, leaving the Arabakunak passage as the preferred alternative. Regional Minister Ivan Shishkov explained that the Vitiya route requires reinforcement of a retaining wall, a task that would take significantly longer. “Repairing the Arabakunak passage can be completed in about twenty days if weather conditions permit,” he said. The repair work will be carried out by the same company that is reconstructing the tunnel. Residents of Botevgrad and the surrounding region have expressed frustration with the extended commute. “We are ready to organize a protest next week if traffic is not eased,” said a spokesperson for the local commuters, citing that at certain times the one‑way trip to Sofia can take up to four hours. The Association of Public Infrastructure (
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