On August 6 2007, Bulgaria’s National Road Infrastructure Fund will launch a tender for the construction of 500km of roads, fund executive director Vesselin Georgiev said.

The roads would be second and third class and the construction project would be worth 270 million leva, Bulgarian news agency BTA reported.

Contracts with successful bidders will be signed at the beginning of October 2007, when the European Commission is expected to approve the regional development operational programme that will provide the money.

More than 90 per cent of the projects already had construction permits, BTA said.

Other road projects, in the region of Dupnitsa and Sandanski, worth a total of 95 million euro, will be ready by mid-October 2007. Contractors for these roads will be chosen at the beginning of 2008. The money is to be provided under the Transport operational programme.

The report on the environmental effect of Struma highway construction, funded by the same programme, will be ready by that time. The report is required before a permit for construction may be issued.

Contractors to build the Maritsa Highway will be chosen at the end of October 2007 and contracts will be signed at the beginning of 2008.