The emergency tube of the Shipka Tunnel may become operational

The emergency tunnel of the future Shipka Tunnel may be used as an active tunnel, allowing one-way traffic in both tubes. This possibility is already being explored, according to Regional Minister Ivan Shishkov during a parliamentary hearing on Friday.

For the tunnel under Shipka Peak we are exploring the possibility of making the emergency tube an active one and having one-way traffic in both tubes,” he said in response to a question from GERB MP Tomislav Donchev.

If such an option is chosen it will alter the current design concept for the facility. According to the plans the tunnel is to have one active tube with two-way traffic and one emergency tube. It is precisely its limited clearance that critics have called into question time and again over the years – including regional ministers – as insufficient for the role the tunnel could play in the main road link between Northern and Southern Bulgaria.

The narrow clearance is also the reason why the Shipka Tunnel is not part of the future highway route from Ruse through Veliko Tarnovo to Makaza. The plan for that route is to pass through the Pass of the Republic, since the route requires highway-grade clearance, which the current project for the Shipka Tunnel does not provide.

For now however this is merely a possibility under consideration, not a final decision.

The news comes at a time when the tunnel project is once again undergoing revisions. Aside from the idea of using the emergency tunnel the technical documentation for the tunnel section must be updated due to changes effective in August 2025 to the Ordinance on Technical Rules and Standards for the Design of Road Tunnels.

Minister Shishkov himself drew attention to this, noting that the amended regulations could lead to “quite significant redesign of the tunnel section.”

However the design issues are not limited to tunnel standards. As Economic.bg has already reported changes are also required in the final approximately 3 km section of the route due to the risk that construction could affect water sources connected to the water supply for the town of Shipka.

It is precisely these accumulated circumstances that are already having an impact on the contract deadlines. In July the Road Infrastructure Agency and the contractor, the PSVT Consortium, signed a supplementary agreement. It outlines both the need to update the technical design for the tunnels due to the amended regulation as well as the additional geological surveys and the new technical solution for the section at the southern end of the project.

With this addendum the project completion deadline has been extended by another 81 d – to 2201 d – and key deadlines for the design work have been extended by the same period.

Not just the tunnel but the entire route

Tomislav Donchev’s question however placed the project in a broader context. According to him building the tunnel itself will not be enough unless the road connections on the southern side of the Balkan Mountains are addressed in parallel. Donchev specifically drew attention to Kazanlak and called for an assessment of the current status of the design work for the approach to the city and when the necessary bypass routes will be contracted out.

In his view if the tunnel is built without the necessary road infrastructure around Kazanlak the new traffic could instead of solving the problem shift it directly into the towns and villages. He also insisted that the project for the Shipka Tunnel should not be viewed as competing with other connections between Northern and Southern Bulgaria, including the route through the Pass of the Republic.

Shishkov also rejected such a dichotomy and stated that the Shipka Tunnel “has not been forgotten,” but emphasized that the government wants to work on comprehensive projects rather than on individual sections without complete connectivity.

No EU funding for now

Funding was also a major part of the dispute between Donchev and Shishkov. Donchev noted that the project is included in Priority 2 of the “Transport Connectivity” Program for 2021 – 2027, where funding is allocated among several major road projects, including the “Struma” highway, the Ruse – Veliko Tarnovo highway and the tunnel under Shipka. According to him depending on the progress of the individual projects some of them may receive European funding while the rest will be completed with funds from the national budget.

Shishkov however stated that at this time European funding for the tunnel itself cannot be secured due to an unresolved environmental issue surrounding the “Bulgarka” Nature Park.

The European Commission will not grant us funding at this time to build the Shipka tunnel with EU funding,” the minister said.

At the same time he noted that the government will attempt to use European funds for sections of the route where this is possible – including the approach to Kazanlak. According to him an analysis has been conducted to determine which components can be funded under European programs and which cannot.

This is consistent with the information previously reported by Economic.bg. The Gabrovo bypass project, including the tunnel under Shipka, formally remains part of the “Transport Connectivity” Program, but there are currently no available funds for it, and the RIA cannot apply for funding due to unmet environmental conditions for the route through the “Bulgarka” Nature Park.

Against this backdrop the only section of the project with a building permit is the 2.6 km northern approach from Gabrovo. The rest of the project continues to go through various design, environmental and land acquisition procedures.

Shishkov cited this very point as the reason why the government does not want to begin work on individual sections without clarity regarding the entire project.

The problem is that, as usual, we do not have a comprehensive project from start to finish,” he stated, emphasizing that starting work on just a single section would not produce the desired effect.

Nevertheless the minister assured that the government is not abandoning the project.

The tunnel under Shipka has not been forgotten,” Shishkov said.

Translated with DeepL.