Chaos on the Struma Motorway: Traffic jams and temporary measures near Simitli

04.05.2026 | Transport and communications

Heavy traffic and kilometers-long queues have formed on the Struma Motorway due to a landslide near the Zheleznitsa tunnel. Traffic police have taken urgent measures to ease congestion.

Снимка от Apostoloff, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Significant traffic difficulties on Struma Motorway

Today was marked by serious traffic jams and heavy congestion in the area between Simitli and Blagoevgrad. The reason for the difficulties is an active landslide, which necessitated the closure of a section of the motorway in the direction of Sofia.

Due to the activated landslide in the area of the Zheleznitsa tunnel, traffic towards the capital has been diverted to the primary road E-79.

Operational measures by the RIA and Traffic Police

At the moment, traffic along the alternative route E-79 remains the main option for those traveling to Sofia while the stabilization of the landslide is underway.