"I am assured that the Toplo Dol tunnel will open for the holidays and be back in use by Easter," prime minister Rumen Radev said in Veliko Tarnovo. The contractor doing the repairs has committed to that deadline.

The tunnel on the Hemus motorway is closed for repairs. Last Wednesday, regional minister Ivan Shishkov said the detour over the Arabakonak pass would be open within 20 days if the weather allows.

Earlier on this story: Topli Dol bypass through Arabakonak to be ready in up to 20 days, weather permitting

Radev and Shishkov inspected the tunnels on the Sofia–Varna road on their way to Veliko Tarnovo. The owner of the contractor and its technical managers were there, and police kept traffic safe.

The repairs have caused huge traffic jams. Radev said he asked the contractor: "Could the repair not have been done at exactly this moment, people are furious in the huge traffic jams." The answer was no, he said, because safety standards require the tunnel to be repaired.

The repairs were ruled urgent as far back as 2025, and the start was put off four or five times. Radev said there can be no more delays now: the work must be done, and the crews are working hard.

In Veliko Tarnovo, the two men met mayor Daniel Panov and discussed the North road junction, the Prisovo bends and the landslide on Trapezitsa hill.

Radev thinks the contract to build the motorway between Ruse and Makaza, on the Greek border, could be awarded within a year, or at the latest by this time next year. He said Veliko Tarnovo will become the crossing point of two motorways, and where motorways cross, there is a buzz of activity, investment, logistics centres and industry.

Radev promised that despite the budget difficulties, pensions and wages will rise, maternity pay and child benefits will go up, and families with children will get tax breaks. He said there will be scholarships for school pupils and students, all social spending is covered and there is money for infrastructure.