Intense traffic and long queues at Bulgaria’s border checkpoints
Traffic at Bulgaria’s border checkpoints with Greece at Kulata, Ilinden and Makaza is extremely intense, the Interior Ministry said on September 5, the third day of Bulgaria’s four-day long weekend culminating in Unification Day.
The ministry said that at Kulata and Ilinden, the queue of cars and lorries was about 1.5 to 2km long, although separate reports said that the queue of cars in the direction of Greece was up to five km long.
The queue at the Makaza checkpoint was about 2km, according to the Interior Ministry.
Border Police said that motorists should follow alternative routes to cross the Greek border, at the Ivailovgrad, Kapitan Petkovo Voivoda and Zlatograd checkpoints.
The ministry said that traffic was also intense at the Bulgarian-Turkish border. Cars were moving normally through the two checkpoints, but a column of lorries had backed up about nine km at the Kapitan Andreevo and four km at the Lesovo border checkoint.
Separately, Bulgarian National Radio said on September 5 that, for the second day, more than 400 goods lorries were waiting to cross the Turkish-Bulgarian border, according to Turkish authorities.
The Turkish authorities said that the slow pace of crossings was because of decreased numbers of Bulgarian customs personnel at weekends, in addition to heightened weekend lorry traffic.
The Bulgarian Interior Ministry said that there was heavy traffic of lorries leaving Bulgaria through the Danube Bridge 2 checkpoint at Vidin.
At the Danube Bridge in Rousse, there was extensive incoming traffic, mainly Romanian tourists, the ministry said.