The European Commission expects the Lyulin Motorway to be completed in 2011-2012 at the present pace of construction, said Carsten Rasmussen, Bulgaria Unit deputy head at the Directorate General for Regional Policy. He was quoted by the press office of the National Road Infrastructure Agency (NRIA).

Rasmussen and the NRIA management participated in the fifth meeting of the committee for monitoring and control of projects implemented with Cohesion Fund financing in Varna on June 4-5.

NRIA Executive Director Yanko Yankov said he was confident that despite the delay, judging from the work accomplished in the last six months construction would be completed according to schedule. Yankov said construction would accelerate in the next 14 months.

The Agency said some 1,000 people were working round the clock at the site, which is five times more than last year.

Although payments under the ISPA Program were suspended for a while, Bulgaria managed to finance the construction project with public money, Yankov said. The contractor has been paid for all the work done, he added.

The money will be refunded from 115 million euro available under the ISPA Program, which the European Commission blocked last year and decided to release again in May.

Source: BTA