Trace Group Hold PLC started the infrastructure project on June 01 2018. The project included restoring and improving the operating condition of the overpass on Patriarch Evtimiy Blvd., construction of a 4-lanes road and two roundabouts, as well as additional facilities. The section is the shortest transport link between the central part of Stara Zagora and the industrial zone of the town and a major quarter, entrance-exit road to Trakia Highway. According to the concluded contract the period for carrying out the overall reconstruction of the facility was 270 days.

 Serious engineering challenges and a successful ending

The overpass has not been repaired since its construction in the 1950s. The total modernization of the overpass comprised three bridge structures. The roadway was extended to 13 m and four lanes (instead of the three existing ones) with a width of 3.25 m each. The connection of Patriarh Evtimiy Blvd. to Slavyanski Blvd. was improved through 2 new roundabouts.

One of the engineering challenges of the project was the passage of all major communications in the city - telecommunications, optical cables, gas pipelines, etc. of 12 operating companies. During construction activities, no communication traffic has been stopped.

The installation of the beams was calculated to be carried out for two hours during which the movement of the trains on the tracks was temporarily suspended. The foundation beams, with a depth of 9 meters, have been madein advance. Two cranes with lifting capacity of 100 and 60 tons, laid the beams on the reinforced concrete rigs. Watch video from the reconstruction process here.

The facility will also solve the serious problem of flooding the area around the railway line during heavy rainfall. The mayor thanked the builders for their efforts and the whole rehabilitation of the overpass.

The overpass reconstruction is part of the project "Modernization and development of sustainable urban transport in the city of Stara Zagora - Phase II" under procedure BG11RFOP001-1.006 - Implementation of Integrated Urban Reconstruction and Development Plans 2014-2020 Stara Zagora, Operational Program "Regions in Growth 2014 -2020 ".

The drivers of the first cars that passed over the facility received books as a gift - the original text of the first biography of Vasil Levski by Zahariy Stoyanov, as well as a children's historical narrative dedicated to Bulgarian khan Alcek, written by Anton Donchev. Both books were issued by the Trace for People Foundation.