The construction of motorways in Bulgaria will be sped up, Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev said today.

Stanishev and Assen Gagauzov, minister of regional development and public works, inspected the progress of the construction works on the Maritsa motorway.

The check-up started at the new 392 m bridge, which is part of the Harmanly-Lyubimets stretch.

The motorway has been under construction for fifteen years, Stanishev said. The 40 km stretch between Kapitan Andreevo and Haskovo is expected to be completed by the end of 2009.

Gagauzov will submit a report to the Prime Minister on the Trakia motorway. The report will contain data on the funding necessary for the completion of the motorway and how it will be raised.

The construction of the Trakia motorway may be launched within the next three months, Gagauzov said.

Holding Roads and Moststroy are capable of completing the remaining 117 km of the motorway in two years, Rumen Yovchev, executive director of Moststroy, said.

The two companies may build the motorway for under 2.7 mln leva per km, Yovchev added.

The construction works on the Lyulin motorway are also underway, Stanishev said.

More than 2,000 km of first and second class roads will be repaired in 2008, Gagauzov said, answering a question by Profit.bg. The ministers expressed hope that even more roads will be repaired in 2009.