The government is already choosing a contractor for the section of the gorge, disputed by environmentalists, but according to Desislava Stoyanova from For the Earth Organization, a member of “Save the Kresna Gorge” movement, the whole highway can still be constructed on the east side – where the government plans to relocate only one of the lines.
According to her, this is probably the only option left for the government at the moment, if it wants to complete the project without returning the money. Before that, there were other alternatives; one with a large tunnel, and another with a series of smaller tunnels over the line of the railway. According to Stoyanova, in one way or another, the government rejected all the proposals or simply neglected them. The same had happened with the alternative of a full east detour, although the local people from Kresna support that option. According to representatives of the Coalition “Save the Kresna Gorge” the current option, which is being auctioned, is based on manipulated data in the environmental impact report and bias preliminary decision.
Currently, European directives are being violated, as we have species destruction, population decrease, and habitat damage. “Since 2008, it has been officially decided to build the highway outside the Kresna Gorge, and for this reason, only all the other sections were financed. Now, this agreement has been broken. If the Commission decides, there is a risk for Bulgaria to have to return all the money,” Stoyanova said.
Maps of alternative routes made with the help of experts.
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