Bulgaria restricts heavy lorry traffic over May 23 – 25 long weekend
Bulgaria’s Road Infrastructure Agency has announced restrictions on heavy lorry traffic over the May 23 to 25 long weekend.
In 2026, May 24 – the Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius and the Day of Bulgarian Education and Culture and Slavonic Literature – is on a Sunday, resulting in a special public holiday on May 25.
Given the expected heavy traffic, the movement of heavy lorries (of more than 12 tons) will be temporarily restricted on the busiest sections of Trakia Motorway, on Hemus Motorway from the exit from Sofia to the roundabout with road I-4 and on part of Struma Motorway.
Ahead of the long weekend, on May 22 from 3pm to 8pm, the movement of heavy lorries leaving Sofia will be restricted, though there will no restrictions on such vehicles heading into the capital city.
Similar rules will apply on May 23 from 9am to 2pm.
On May 25, from noon until 8pm, the movement of heavy lorries travelling to Sofia will be restricted, while there will be no restrictions on heavy lorries leaving the capital.
The restrictions do not apply to heavy vehicles for public passenger transport, as well as to vehicles transporting dangerous goods, live animals, perishable food products and temperature-controlled cargo and specialized carcass trucks travelling on the Hemus Motorway, Struma Motorway and the section of road I-1 in Blagoevgrad district.
On May 22 and 23, traffic in the direction of Kulata will be carried out in two lanes, and traffic towards Sofia will be carried out in one lane. On May 25, two lanes will be provided for cars travelling to Sofia and one in the direction of Kulata.
Traffic in the Sofia-bound lane is also restricted in the section of Struma Motorway between km 97 and 104. Cars heading from Sandanski to Blagoevgrad will travel on a detour from the road junction at km 104 on the I-1 Sofia – Kulata road to the Blagoevgrad South road junction. The reason for the temporary arrangement is the landslide at km 103 of Struma Motorway.
Until the necessary restoration activities are carried out and traffic safety is ensured, traffic in the Sofia-bound lane will be restricted, the agency said. There are no restrictions on traffic travelling to Sandanski and Kulata on Struma Motorway, it said.
(Photo: Johka/ sxc.hu)
