In brief
Trucks, heavy goods vehicles weighing more than 12 tonnes, will be restricted on the Hemus Motorway during specific days and times in November 2026 as the Topli Dol Tunnel undergoes major repairs. Alternative routes will be available weather permitting, and normal traffic is expected to resume around mid-December, with further restrictions slated for January 2027 and until April 2027. Separate traffic changes will affect a section of the Trakia Motorway until mid-November to allow road surface repairs.
In a move to keep traffic flowing on the Hemus Motorway, the Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA) announced that heavy goods vehicles exceeding 12 tonnes will be subject to temporary restrictions on Friday, Sunday, and Monday of the week of November 13, 2026. On November 13, trucks traveling away from Sofia will be barred from the motorway between 3 pm and 9 pm. On November 15, the restriction will cover heavy trucks heading toward the capital from 2 pm to 9 pm. On November 16, the route will be closed to large vehicles in both directions from 7 am to 9 am. The affected stretch runs from kilometre 0 at the Sofia exit to the Botevgrad road junction at kilometre 47.
During Friday’s closure, trucks traveling toward Vratsa, Montana and Vidin may use alternative routes via the Petrohan Mountain Pass and the second‑class road II‑16, connecting Sofia, Svoge and Rebrovo, if weather conditions permit. The same detour options will be open on Sunday for vehicles heading into Sofia, subject to weather. In case traffic volumes drop, the RIA indicated that the Traffic Police could allow trucks through before the scheduled end of the restriction, though this has not yet occurred.
Traffic on both tubes of the Topli Dol Tunnel is expected to resume around December 18, ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays. The RIA said that after the holiday period, traffic through the tube leading toward Sofia would be restricted again approximately on January 11, 2027, until construction is fully completed. The projected deadline for the completion of the repairs is April 2027.
In addition, the RIA temporarily altered traffic arrangements on a two‑kilometre segment of the Trakia Motorway in the Sofia Region beginning on a Friday and continuing until November 17, to facilitate partial surface repairs.
