Bulgaria's Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, Ivan Ivanov, has outlined an ambitious plan to complete the Hemus Motorway by 2029. In an interview with the "Code Stroitel" podcast of the newspaper "Stroitel," Ivanov revealed that Lot 1 of the highway, stretching from the "Boaza" junction to the "Dermantsi" junction, will be operational this year. The minister expressed confidence that, if the current government remains in power for the full four-year term, the entire motorway will be completed by 2029.

Construction permits have already been issued for one of the stages of Lot 4, with work set to begin in 2025. For Lot 9, which connects the "Buhovtsi" road junction to Targovishte, a construction permit is expected later this year. Final expropriation procedures are underway for this section.

The minister also shared that the capital program for infrastructure projects this year includes around 3 billion leva. Key focus areas in the budget include the continuation of the municipal program and the completion of major infrastructure projects. He highlighted that the State Budget Act has allocated 1.65 billion leva to cover expenses previously relied upon by municipalities, amounting to over 525 million leva in unpaid funds from the previous year.

Ivanov did not shy away from acknowledging challenges in implementing projects under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). He emphasized a critical 15-month delay, which he described as a result of "criminal inaction." The minister called on mayors to ensure the physical implementation of projects is completed and accepted by March next year, ahead of the final report due to the European Commission by June 2026. To mitigate any negative impacts on citizens, the ministry is launching the second stage of the National Renovation Program, which will receive 2.5 billion leva through the State Budget Act, to be invested through 2028.

Turning to other significant infrastructure projects, Ivanov provided updates on the Struma Motorway, which is on track to have at least the left lane completed by 2031, as per an agreement with the Bern Convention. The construction of the Kresna bypass is slated to begin this year to ease traffic congestion. Regarding the Vidin-Botevgrad expressway, the minister announced that the section between Botevgrad and Mezdra should be open by the end of June, with completion to the full stretch expected by 2026. Seven landslides were discovered during construction, with two already addressed and solutions underway for the remaining five.

On water infrastructure, Ivanov pointed out that over 30 billion leva is needed to rehabilitate Bulgaria's entire drinking and domestic water network. He urged local authorities to prioritize these projects when applying for funding through the Investment Program for Municipal Projects. The Luda Yana Dam is expected to be operational in 2024, with the assignment for the development of the Cherni Osam Dam’s Master Plan and feasibility studies set to begin in the same year.

In the realm of digitalization, Ivanov explained that the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works is following the National Strategy for Digital Transformation of the Construction Sector by 2030. This includes supporting the introduction of Building Information Modeling and the establishment of a Unified Information System for Spatial Planning.