Bulgarian infrastructure is way below the needed level, Regional Development Minister Assen Gagauzov said.

Cabinet will invest 7.5 billion euro in infrastructure projects by 2015, Gagauzov said. Nearly 5.3 billion euro will be invested in road infrastructure.

In the short-term, the Cabinet will try to complete Trakia and Maritsa highway projects, Gagauzov said.

Nearly 5000km of the national road network will be reconstructed by 2009. Over the past year, renovation works of 1650km were completed.

Some other major projects include the construction of Strouma highway, which is to be 156km long. Investment in that project will exceed 600 million euro, Gagauzov said.

A connective road between Hemus and Trakia highways will be set up in October. The function of the connection will be to alleviate traffic in Sofia.

Work on Cherno More highway will begin the latest by mid-2008, Gagauzov said. A number of the developments will rely on funding from the ISPA, PHARE and SAPARD programmes, he said.