Cost of Bulgaria's Struma Motorway Swells by BGN 3 M due to Anti-Landslide Measures

Bulgaria's Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA) has allocated an additional BGN 3 M to anti-landslide fortification in two sections of the Struma motorway.

GBS Infrastructure Construction AD has been awarded nearly BGN 500 000 without a tender to build a wall at the 317th kilometer of the Struma motorway (Lot 1) in an area plagued by a landslide in spring, according to reports of Capital daily.

Apart from that, the GBS Infrastructure Construction AD and Patstroy 92 AD are to receive BGN 2.55 M, VAT excluded, for anti-landslide measures at the 325th kilometer of the Struma motorway (Lot 2, Dupnitsa-Blagoevgrad section).

The money is provided from the state budget.

The contractor of both Lot 1 and Lot 2 of the Struma motorway is a consortium of GBS Infrastructure Construction AD, Patstroy 92 AD, and Italy's Impresa.

The consortium won the tender for Lot 1 (Dolna Dikanya - Dupnitsa) of the Struma motorway in 2011 with an offer of BGN 58 M.

Despite the fact that Lot 1 of the Struma motorway was launched in 2013, it keeps requiring new spending.

According to RIA, the construction of a 56-meter fortification wall is not included in the guarantee and RIA will have to pay the contractor a total of BGN 500 000 for urgent activities without holding a tender.

A 15-meter crack opened at the site in spring, causing traffic restrictions to be introduced for a period of two months.

The 37-kilometer Lot 2 of the Struma motorway, which is currently being built by the consortium of GBS Infrastructure Construction AD, Patstroy 92 AD, and Italy's Impresa under a contract worth BGN 300 M, was supposed to open for traffic in March, but the launch was delayed by archaeological excavations and postponed by end-2015.

Now it turns out...