Regional development minister Ivan Shishkov says a detour over the Arabakonak pass will be open within 20 days, if the weather allows. It will replace the closed Topli Dol tunnel on the Hemus motorway.

Repairs in the tunnel have caused traffic jams on the motorway. The detour should ease them.

Shishkov spoke to reporters after an urgent meeting with Botevgrad mayor Ivan Gavalyugov, Gorna Malina mayor Angel Zhilanov and the heads of the Road Infrastructure Agency (API). "What we will do is use the Arabakonak pass, which is a municipal road," Shishkov said.

The two councils will allow the road to be used, and the state will pay to make it passable. Shishkov called the presence of both mayors and the deal with them the good news of the day. The builders have committed to repair the road within that time.

The tunnel is closed for urgent repairs. Shishkov said the closure could not be avoided because the structure is in a critical state. The firm working in the tunnel will speed up its schedule with two shifts: from 8:00 to 16:00 and from 16:00 to about 22:00.

The road through Vitinya cannot be used because of a problem with a retaining wall. The minister said fixing the wall needs a long procedure and will not be quick.

API has agreed with hauliers that lorries will stay off the section at peak hours. On Friday the ban runs from 15:00 to 21:00 in the Sofia–Varna direction. On Sunday it runs from 14:00 to 21:00 in the Varna–Sofia direction. On Monday between 7:00 and 9:00, lorries heading from Varna to Sofia will stop at Botevgrad so cars can pass.

Heavy lorries will be sent one way over the Petrohan pass and along the Iskar Gorge road. Toll police teams will watch the arrangements and guide mainly foreign drivers who do not know Bulgaria's roads.

The tunnel will open temporarily over Christmas and New Year. Shishkov said this will ease holiday traffic.