Summary
The Maritsa motorway (Bulgarian: Автомагистрала „Марица“, Avtomagistrala "Maritsa"), designated A4, is a motorway in Bulgaria, part of the Pan-European Corridor IV, between the Trakia motorway (A1), at the town of Chirpan, and Kapitan Andreevo, at the Turkish border.
 | |
|---|---|
| Автомагистрала „Марица“ | |
 Maritsa motorway highlighted in red and yellow | |
| Route information | |
Part of  E80 | |
| Length | 117 km (73 mi) |
| Major junctions | |
| West end |  A1 near Chirpan |
| East end |  D.100 near Kapitan Andreevo |
| Location | |
| Country | Bulgaria |
| Major cities | Dimitrovgrad, Haskovo, Svilengrad |
| Highway system | |
The planned completion of the last remaining stretch of the motorway was in 2013,[1] but a delay occurred[2] and the complete motorway enterеd service in October 2015.[3]
It is named after the Maritsa River.
History edit
In October 2010, a 31 km section of the Maritsa motorway between the towns of Harmanli and Lyubimets officially opened to traffic.[4] The new interchange at Kapitan Petvo Voyvoda neighbourhood of Svilengrad, providing direct connection with the border crossing to Greece, also opened in October 2010. During construction, 6000-year-old Neolithic remains were found near Haskovo.[5] The bypass of Kapitan Andreevo village in the border area entered service in August 2014.[6] The construction of Haskovo-Harmanli section began in July 2011 and was completed on 28 May 2015.[7] A 8.6 kilometres (5.3 mi) long second carriageway near Svilengrad was inaugurated on 7 June 2015, while the other carriageway had been built during the 1980s.[8] The last remaining section, between Chirpan and Haskovo, entered service on 29 October 2015.[3]
The construction of the Chirpan-Haskovo and the Haskovo-Harmanli sections of the motorway were co-funded by EU funds allocated for Bulgaria,[9] while a small section at the Turkish border was co-funded with a loan from the IBRD.[10] Its route runs parallel to the existing major road 8, which is mainly two-lane and carried much of the road freight to and from Turkey and the Middle East. The completion of the Maritsa motorway attempts to reduce this congestion.
Exits edit
| Exit | km | Destinations | Lanes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 
|
0 |  (Sofia, Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Yambol, Burgas)
|
|
In service |
|
17,8 | Zlatna Livada |
|
In service |
|
|
38,8 | Haskovo, Dimitrovgrad  
|
|
In service |
|
|
65,6 | Simeonovgrad, Harmanli |
|
In service |
|
|
70,3 | Topolovgrad, Harmanli |
|
In service |
|
|
89,4 | Lyubimets |
|
In service |
|
|
99,2 | Svilengrad-west;  
|
|
In service |
|
|
102,5 | Svilengrad |
|
In service |
|
|
114 | Kapitan Andreevo 
|
|
In service |
 
|
117,3 | Kapitan Andreevo;  Edirne D100
, Istanbul 
|
|
In service |
References edit
- ^ "State allocates 32.5M leva for Maritsa motorway". Sofiaecho.com. 18 March 2010.
- ^ "През 2014 г. завършват "Марица", лот 4 на "Струма", обхода на Враца и Кърджали – Подкова". infrastructure.bg. Archived from the original on 2016-04-16. Retrieved 2014-01-11.
- ^ a b "След 36 години АМ "Марица" най-после е готова!". plovdiv24.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 29 October 2015.
- ^ "Bulgaria Opens 31 KM of Maritsa Highway: Bulgaria Opens 31 KM of Maritsa Highway". Novinite.com. 2 October 2010.
- ^ "Bulgaria: Bulgarian Archaeologists Stumble Upon 8000-Year-Old Skeleton". Novinite.com. 24 October 2010.
- ^ "Пуснаха магистрала "Марица" към "Капитан Андреево"" (in Bulgarian). vesti.bg. 14 August 2014.
- ^ "Магистрала "Марица" от днес е с 34 км по-дълга" (in Bulgarian). Dnevnik. 28 May 2015.
- ^ "От днес се пуска в движение дясното платно на автомагистрала "Марица"" (in Bulgarian). Dnevnik. 7 June 2015.
- ^ "Bulgaria: EU Approves Bulgaria's Major Operative Programs". Novinite.com. 7 November 2007.
- ^ "СИМЕОН ДЯНКОВ ЩЕ НАПРАВИ ИНСПЕКЦИЯ НА ГКПП "КАПИТАН АНДРЕЕВО"". Ministry of finance. Archived from the original on 2016-08-14. Retrieved 2014-01-11.