Possibilities for the construction of a parallel route of the European transport corridor No 9 through Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece

Abstract

The Bulgarian state is significantly behind in the development of its strategic road infrastructure. This circumstance is complemented by the deteriorated state of the already-built infrastructure in the Bulgarian state. There is a need to change the policy philosophy for managing and maintaining the strategic infrastructure in Bulgaria. It is necessary to strongly link this policy with the regional development policy, due to the similar objectives they must achieve. They are aimed at bringing Bulgarian regions closer together, and their economic and regional development based on improved connectivity between them. Achieving all this, however, is hampered by a significant deficit in the system. There is a lack of connectivity and development of the transport axes in the North-South direction. In this regard, the authors set as their main objective to analyze and assess the possibilities for the construction of a parallel route of the European transport corridor No. 9 through Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece, which includes the construction of a tunnel between the town of Troyan and the village of Karnare in the central part of the Balkan Mountains. The implementation of this project will bring economic, social, transport, and financial benefits to the Bulgarian state. The construction of the project ensures connectivity between the Balkan countries, the formation of a single European market, stimulating the development of Northern Bulgaria, and a targeted impact on the North and South-Central planning regions.