Hemus motorway
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| Автомагистрала „Хемус“ | |
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Hemus motorway highlighted in red and yellow | |
| Route information | |
| Length: |
167 km (104 mi) 433 km (269 mi) planned |
| Major junctions | |
| From: | Sofia |
| To: | Varna (not constructed from Yablanitsa to Shumen) |
| Location | |
| Major cities: | Botevgrad, Shumen (future: Pleven, Lovech, Veliko Tarnovo and Targovishte) |
| Highway system | |
| Motorways in Bulgaria | |
The Hemus motorway (Bulgarian: Автомагистрала „Хемус“, Avtomagistrala "Hemus") or Haemus motorway, designated A2, is a partially built motorway in Bulgaria. Its planned length is 433 km, of which 167 km are in operation as of August 2015. The motorway in operation is divided into two sections — the first one links the capital Sofia with Yablanitsa, crossing Stara planina (Balkan mountains), and the second segment connects Varna and Shumen. According to the plans, Hemus motorway would connect Sofia with the third-largest city of Varna, at the Black Sea coast, duplicating European route E70 (Varna–Shumen), European route E772 (Shumen–Yablanitsa) and European route E83 (Yablanitsa–Sofia).
History
The Pravets–Yablanitsa section of the Hemus motorway was officially opened on 5 December 1999. Due to the mountainous terrain through the Stara Planina the section, 5.47 km in length with another 16 km reconstructed, features two viaducts and one tunnel (Praveshki hanove), while the whole Sofia–Yablanitsa section has three more tunnels. The construction of the Pravets–Yablanitsa section began in the 1984 but ceased in the late 1980s due to lack of funds to be finished in 1998–1999.[1] The 12.8 km section connecting Shumen with Kaspichan to the east was opened on 30 December 2005 and cost 77.6 million leva.[2] In July 2013 a segment of the motorway at Shumen opened.[3] In August 2013 a 8.46 km segment, connecting the Sofia ring road and the Yana junction, opened to traffic.[4] In August 2015, a 4.9 km segment, including the Belokopitovo interchange (with I-2 road), was inaugurated.[5]
Plans for completing the motorway
In January 2013 National Company "Strategic Infrastructure Projects", a state-run company, tendered feasibility study for the remaining sections of Hemus motorway (Yablanitsa-Panayot Volovo).[6] In 2014 NCSIP signed contracts for drawing conceptual designs for all 8 lots of the motorway. In January 2015, a tender for design and build of 2 lots, between Yablanitsa and the Pleven/Lovech road, has been announced by NCSIP.[7]
Exits
| Exit | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
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0 | Sofia ring road, Botevgradsko shose | In service |
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1 | Dolni Bogrov   |
In service |
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8,5 | Yana | In service |
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14 | Eleshnitsa | In service |
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21,5 | Potop | In service |
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30,8 | Churek | In service |
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32 | Vitinya | In service |
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41 | Topli Dol | In service |
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43 | Echemishka | In service |
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47,7 | Botevgrad  |
In service |
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53,3 | Pravets | In service |
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55 | Praveshki Hanove | In service |
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59,2 | Osikovska Lakavitsa | In service |
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66,5 | Dzhurovo | In service |
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74,7 | Yablanitsa | In service |
| Yablanitsa-Belokopitovo | Planned | ||
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337.3[8] | Belokopitovo    |
In service |
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348 | Shumen-east | In service |
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361 | Kaspichan, Novi Pazar | In service |
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374.2 | Nevsha | In service |
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379.8 | Mlada Gvardiya, exit only westbound, entrance only eastbound | In service |
| 384.1 | Parking eastbound | ||
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384.4 | Provadia-north(road III-208) | In service |
| 385.8 | Parking only westbound | In service | |
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390.7 | Provadia-east, Gabarnitsa | In service |
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400.4 | Devnya | In service |
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405.4 | Povelyanovo | In service |
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410.4 | Slanchevo | In service |
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420.5 |  Varna Airport |
In service |
| 422.4 | Petrol station eastbound(westbound 423.2) | In service | |
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423.8 | Varna-west | In service |
Miscellaneous
- Bebresh Viaduct, regarded as the highest motorway bridge in the Balkans with a clearance of 120 m, is part of the Hemus motorway.
- The motorway is named after the Haemus Mons, an ancient name of the Balkan Mountains (Stara Planina).
Gallery
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Hemus motorway crossing the Balkan Mountains, between Vitinya and Botevgrad
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.jpg)
The Viaduct at Vitinya Pass
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Vitinya Tunnel on A-2 Hemus Motorway, Bulgaria
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Echemishka Tunnel on A-2 Hemus Motorway, Bulgaria
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Topli Dol Tunnel on A-2 Hemus Motorway, Bulgaria
References
- ↑ "Иван Костов откри участъка Правец - Ябланица на магистрала "Хемус"". Botevgradski Vesti. 6 December 1999.
- ↑ "Строежът на "Хемус" е в ръцете на държавата". BiG.BG. 8 October 2009.
- ↑ "Инж. Лазар Лазаров присъства на пускането на движението по участък от АМ "Хемус"" (in Bu;garian). API. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ↑ "The New Section of Hemus Motorway – Link with Sofia Ring Road – Road Junction Yana Has Been Opened for Traffic". API. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ↑ "Магистрала "Хемус" от днес е с пет километра по-дълга" (in Bulgarian). Dnevnik. 3 August 2015.
- ↑ "Feasibility Study for the Hemus Motorway". ncsip.bg. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ↑ "Тръгна процедурата за удължаването на "Хемус" до разклона за Плевен и Ловеч" (in Bulgarian). Dnevnik. 9 January 2015.
- ↑ "API :: Начало". www.api.bg. Retrieved 2015-10-20.
External links
- Hemus FS Summary .pdf at NCSIP (in Bulgarian)
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hemus highway. |
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