Regional development minister Ivan Shishkov expects the Topli Dol tunnel to reopen temporarily in early December. He told this to the BNT programme "The Day Starts with Georgi Lyubenov" on Bulgarian National Television. Work on the Arabakonak pass must finish first. It will give drivers a safe route while repairs on the tunnel continue.

The repair contract was signed in the second half of 2023. It says traffic will use the other tube of the tunnel in the meantime, and it sets no detour at all. Arabakonak is a municipal road, not a state one. The minister said both facts caused the delay.

Shishkov also spoke about the two chain-reaction crashes on the Trakia motorway near the Zimnitsa interchange, in which people died. Early data show the road was in good condition and the cause was speeding. The minister was criticised because the road had not been treated for winter conditions. He replied that this was not needed, because the temperature at the time of the crashes was 3 degrees and roads are treated when it falls below 0.

No winter maintenance regime has been declared yet. Shishkov said that once it is officially declared, the state starts paying the firms, whether or not it snows.

In 2027, smart early-warning systems will be installed on the motorways, along with a single body that will monitor and manage traffic in real time. The minister said the current system reacts after incidents happen, while the new one will prevent them. The aim is not only to track fog and weather: interior ministry officers will stop any driver who goes too fast or drives erratically along the route.

The ministry plans to design all the motorways and to look for a public-private partnership to build them. Shishkov called this a big reform. "Our idea is that in 2027 we design the motorways to the point where we can hand them over as concessions," he told BNT.

The plan covers the section with the tunnel under Petrohan, with a possible Montana–Sofia road, the Rila motorway that will link Hemus, Trakia and Struma, the Ruse–Makaza route and the Black Sea motorway. Shishkov said building the motorways does not take a lot of money, but design work and a change of model.

The minister said the opposition wants the ruling parties to make excuses for the mistakes of those who governed for 15 years. He added that he welcomes the constant scrutiny of the ministry's work, because it motivates the administration.

The regional development ministry's 2027 budget has money for major repairs of roads and facilities, and all projects will go through public procurement. "To start on them, we need public procurement, not disguised contracts for routine repairs," Shishkov said.