The situation on Bulgaria’s roads and in its towns and villages was returning to normal on January 9 2012 after heavy snowfalls at the weekend caused major traffic disruption and left an estimated 500 000 households without electricity.
 
Failure to react properly to the crisis on the motorways cost the executive director and the chairman of the board of directors of Avtomagistrali EAD, the state-owned company responsible for the motorways' winter clearing and maintenance, their jobs.
 
Regional Development and Public Works Minister Liliana Pavlova told a news conference on January 8 that the two had been replaced.
 
Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov blamed both the management of Avtomagistrali, for what he called "inadequate co-ordination", and lorry drivers who, he said, had not complied with Interior Ministry instructions to prevent blocking of the motorways.
 
Serious snowfalls that had been preceded by heavy rain and wind were the main cause of the power cuts as pylons were brought down, severing supply to a large number of towns and villages, including the winter resort of Borovets – which spent much of the weekend without electricity – and Pamporovo, where power was intermittently disrupted, according to Bulgarian-language media reports.
 
Bansko and Chepelare were also affected by power cuts, in some cases leaving winter holidaymakers stranded on ski lifts and with hotels resorting to electricity generators. On January 9, power had been fully restored at Chepelare, EVN Bulgaria said.
 
Bulgarian media said that on January 9, most national roads were driveable but caution was advised because road surfaces were wet.
 
However, some passes were closed, including the Zlatitsa, Tvurditsa, Vurbitsa, Vratnik and Troyan passes.
 
On the Prevala, Pamporovo, Rozhen and Petrohan passes, motor vehicles were required to drive with snow chains on their tyres. Vehicles weighing more than 10 tons and vehicles with trailers and semi-trailers have been banned from using Petrohan pass.
 
Power supply problems reportedly were continuing on January 9 in some parts of the Plovdiv district, and in places in the areas of Pazardzhik, Smolyan and Stara Zagora.
 
The weather forecast for January 9 said that most of Bulgaria would be cloudy, with light snow in western and central parts of the country.