Traffic on the international road from Bulgarian capital Sofia to the city Nis in Serbia will be fully halted twice Wednesday, due to ongoing works on the building of a highway.

Explosion works in the Serbian section will have traffic stopped 9-11 am and 2-4 pm Wednesday near the Serbian village Ciflik, close to the town of Pirot.

Outside of those hours, traffic will be admitted via traffic lights in one lane only.

The 160 km of road between Sofia and Nis are part of a major artery, which has been linking Europe and Asia at least since Roman Antiquity, now part of Pan-European Corridor No. 10 and European road E-80.

The section, which on the Serbian side includes through difficult mountain terrain, is serviced for the most part by a mere two-lane road.

Progress on the building of a highway is being only incrementally made, with completion not expected before 2015.