SOFIA (Bulgaria) – Bulgaria’s 267.2 million levs ($148.3 million/136.6 million levs) tender for construction of a road tunnel under the Shipka peak beneath the Balkan Range has attracted offers from seven candidates, including companies from Turkey and China, the government’s road agency said on Wednesday.
Ankara-based construction companies Duygu Muhendislik and Kolin have submitted bids in the tender, as well as Beijing-headquartered China Communication Construction Company, the Road Infrastructure Agency said in a statement.
The remaining candidates to win the public procurement procedure for awarding the contract are three Bulgarian consortia, comprising respectively Patni Stroezhi-Veliko Tarnovo, Hydrostroy and Patinzheneringstroy-T; Trace Group Hold and Alve Consult; Geostroy and Patstroy-92, as well as a Bulgarian-Turkish tie-up comprising Instanbul-based Dogus Insaat Ve Ticaret and Bulgaria’s Via Construct and Via Plan.
The project envisages construction works on a 10.5-kilometre long road section, of which 2.9 km will be a reconstruction of an existing first-class road between the towns of Gabrovo and Kazanlak, in central Bulgaria. The awarded candidate will also be responsible for the construction of five tunnels with a combined length of some 4.01 km, with the tunnel under the Shipka peak to be the longest of them – 3.2 km.
Works on the project also include the construction of six bridges and an overpass along with related road infrastructure.
Works are expected to be completed within a period of about three years and a half.
The Shipka tunnel will provide a faster link between Bulgaria’s northern and southern regions compared to existing road infrastructure and is a priority construction project for the government.
(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)