The excitement of the upcoming weekend was dampened by kilometers-long traffic jams on the "Trakia" highway.

The repairs, which started simultaneously in the Sofia region, Pazardzhik and Sliven, caused a real chaos on the key transport artery, turning the trip into a test for thousands of citizens.

Traffic to Burgas has been diverted to the lane for Sofia, which further aggravates the situation. In practice, the journey both from Sofia and to the capital turned out to be difficult, as many of the drivers spend hours in a closed space, motionless.

A reporter from BNT contacted viewers who were caught in the trap of traffic jams. "It's like a blockade," they shared, reflecting the severity of the situation. The 40-kilometer section from Ihtiman to Sofia, normally passable in minutes, is now traveled in almost two hours.

The footage, filmed by the reporter, shows long columns of cars crawling slowly on the highway. The mood among the drivers, according to the reporter's feedback, is mixed - from nervousness to helplessness. It is evident that the planned trips have turned into a test of people's patience.

The "Road Infrastructure Agency" (API) appeals to drivers, if possible, to take advantage of alternative routes. However, the scale of the traffic jams, as well as the number of affected citizens, put before the authorities the need for urgent measures to deal with the problem and ensure normal traffic.