A2 Hemus Motorway
Motorway running 418 km from Sofia to the Black Sea port of Varna via Shumen, crossing the Balkan Mountains and carrying European routes E70, E83 and E772. Work began on 4 October 1974 and the first section, Varna – Devnya, opened in 1979. As of December 2025, 206 km are open in two disconnected stretches, Sofia to Ugarchin (approximately 103 km) and Buhovtsi to Varna (approximately 108 km); the roughly 208 km between Ugarchin and Buhovtsi are under construction or still in planning. The motorway is managed by the Bulgarian Roads Agency, successor to NCSIP.
- Total length
- 412 km
- Open today
- 204 km
- Sections
- 22
- Cost on record
- €172.966M
- 3 of 22 sections carry a comparable figure
Restated into EUR at 2025 prices.
Sections
| Sections | Status | Length | Timeline | Cost | Funding | Contractors | Contract terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sofia – Yana | Opened | 8 km |
| – |
|
| 22 mo execution · Contract value лв38.34M |
| Yana – Potop Yana – Pravets (44.4 km in total) opened in 1986 according to Bulgarian Wikipedia. The 5 December 1999 opening was the Pravets bypass, in Pravets – Yablanitsa. | Opened | 13 km |
| – | – | – | – |
| Potop – Botevgrad Partial contractor list. Мостстрой built the Bebresh viaduct (km 38, completed 1985). Yana – Pravets (44.4 km in total) opened in 1986 according to Bulgarian Wikipedia. The 5 December 1999 opening was the Pravets bypass, in Pravets – Yablanitsa. | Opened | 25 km |
| – | – |
| – |
| Botevgrad – Pravets Yana – Pravets (44.4 km in total) opened in 1986 according to Bulgarian Wikipedia. The 5 December 1999 opening was the Pravets bypass, in Pravets – Yablanitsa. | Opened | 6 km |
| – | – | – | – |
| Pravets – Yablanitsa Partial contractor list. Мостстрой built the viaduct at km 56 (1986–1999). | Opened | 22 km |
| – | – |
| – |
| Yablanitsa – Boaza Design-and-build contract. Contract durations converted from days: 910 days total, 150 days design, 730 days works. | Opened | 9 km |
| – |
|
| 5 mo design · 24 mo execution · 30 mo total · Contract value лв54.99M |
| Boaza – Dermantsi Direct award to Avtomagistrali EAD under agreement Д-122 of 20 December 2018, covering km 87+800–222+000. Construction start is the official start of works on 23 April 2019, marked symbolically. | Opened | 10 km |
| – |
|
| – |
| Dermantsi – Ugarchin Direct award to Avtomagistrali EAD under agreement Д-122 of 20 December 2018, covering km 87+800–222+000. | Opened | 5 km |
| – |
|
| – |
| Dermantsi – Kalenik Lot 2, km 103+150–122+260. Direct award to Avtomagistrali EAD under agreement Д-122 of 20 December 2018, covering km 87+800–222+000. Building permit РС-69 of 27 August 2020. Marked under construction on magistralahemus.bg, which gives 2028 as the expected opening. | Under construction | 19 km |
| – | – |
| – |
| Kalenik – Pleven Lot 3, km 122+260–139+340. Direct award to Avtomagistrali EAD under agreement Д-122 of 20 December 2018, covering km 87+800–222+000. Building permits РС-31 of 17 April 2019 and РС-30 of 1 June 2020. Marked under construction on magistralahemus.bg, which gives 2028 as the expected opening. | Under construction | 17 km |
| – | – |
| – |
| Pleven – Letnitsa Lot 4, km 139+340–167+572. Direct award to Avtomagistrali EAD under agreement Д-122 of 20 December 2018, covering km 87+800–222+000. Building permits РС-111 of 23 December 2025 (km 139+340–152+500) and РС-6 of 4 February 2025 (km 152+500–167+572). Marked under construction on magistralahemus.bg, which gives 2028 as the expected opening. On 1 September 2026 the Ministry reported construction was underway on Hemus Section 4, matching this lot. | Under construction | 28 km |
| – | – |
| – |
| Letnitsa – Pavlikeni Lot 5, km 167+572–190+771. Direct award to Avtomagistrali EAD under agreement Д-122 of 20 December 2018, covering km 87+800–222+000. Building permit РС-110 issued on 23 December 2025. magistralahemus.bg still shows the building-permit stage and gives 2028 as the expected opening. | Planned | 23 km |
| – | – |
| – |
| Pavlikeni – Polikraishte Lot 6, km 190+771–223+426. Covered by the December 2018 direct award to Avtomagistrali EAD (km 87+800–222+000) and the 18 December 2019 direct contract for km 222+000–310+940. MRRB says a construction permit was signed on 7 May 2026 for the approximately 32 km section from the III-303 Pavlikeni–Levski junction to the I-5 Ruse–Veliko Tarnovo road, including a junction near Kutsina, matching this lot. The permit allows preliminary execution; it does not establish a construction start. The ministry gives 44 months from the site-opening protocol as the works deadline. | Planned | 33 km | – | – | – |
| – |
| Polikraishte – Loznitsa Lots 7 and 8 combined, km 223+426–299+000: Kutsina/Veliko Tarnovo – Popovo (km 223+426–265+600, 42.2 km) and Popovo – Loznitsa (km 265+600–299+000, 33.4 km). Both are at the technical design stage on magistralahemus.bg, which gives 2030 as the expected opening. Covered by the 18 December 2019 direct contract with Avtomagistrali EAD for km 222+000–310+940, which includes the design work for the km 222+000–265+600 section. | Planned | 76 km | – | – | – |
| – |
| Loznitsa – Buhovtsi Lot 9, km 299+000–310+940. Direct contract with Avtomagistrali EAD of 18 December 2019 for km 222+000–310+940, value not disclosed. Building permit issued on 17 February 2026. magistralahemus.bg shows the building-permit stage and gives 2028 as the expected opening. | Planned | 12 km |
| – | – |
| – |
| Belokopitovo – Buhovtsi Contract duration converted from days: 910 calendar days. | Opened | 16 km |
| – |
|
| 30 mo total · Contract value лв143.742M |
| Belokopitovo – Panayot Volovo Km 337+302–342+200, connecting road I-2 Ruse–Varna and road I-4 Koritna–Belokopitovo. | Opened | 5 km |
| – | – | – | – |
| Panayot Volovo – Shumen Section from the Makak quarter of Shumen to Panayot Volovo. Works began in July 2011 on 7.8 km valued at about 38 million leva, with a 14-month deadline. | Opened | 8 km |
| – | – | – | – |
| Shumen – Kaspichan The section cost 77.6 million leva according to English Wikipedia; Bulgarian Wikipedia cites the government information service for 77.6 million leva invested. | Opened | 13 km |
| – | – | – | – |
| Kaspichan – Mlada Gvardiya No opening date found. The year 2006 is a latest bound, not an opening date: the earliest revision of Bulgarian Wikipedia (27 March 2006) already lists the Varna – Shumen stretch as in service. The exit table of the current page puts Kaspichan at km 351.6 and Mlada Gvardiya at km 370.6, so the length is the 19.0 km difference. The 2005 opening of the adjoining Shumen – Kaspichan section does not date this lot. | Opened | 19 km |
| – | – | – | – |
| Devnya – Mlada Gvardiya Begun in the 1970s. Opening year only; the source gives no month. | Opened | 20 km |
| – | – | – | – |
| Varna – Devnya Opening year only; the source gives no month. | Opened | 24 km |
| – | – | – | – |
Contractor roles are as recorded in the award. Only builders count toward the delivery rankings.
Funding
- National budget49 km5 sections
- National co-financing
- State budget
- State budget, for the whole Boaza – I-5 stretch
- European Union8 km1 section
- Cohesion Fund, OP Transport 2007–2013 (grant contract ДОПТ 15 of 14 October 2011)
A section that lists two sources counts its full length under each: the data records which sources paid, not what share each one carried.
Related projects
- HighwaysRuse – Veliko Tarnovo MotorwaySame contractor: Avtomagistrali Cherno More, DZZD Hemus-16320, Infra Expert, Patinzheneringstroy-T, Transkonsult-22
- HighwaysA1 Trakia MotorwaySame contractor: Moststroy, Trace Group Hold
- HighwaysA3 Struma MotorwaySame contractor: Hidrostroy, Patstroy-92
- HighwaysMontana – Botevgrad Expressway (I-1 / E79)Same contractor: Patstroy-92, Trace Group Hold
- HighwaysA4 Maritsa MotorwaySame contractor: Moststroy
- RailwaysSofia Metro Line M3 (Gorna Banya – Levski)Same contractor: Trace Group Hold
Sources
- Wikipedia: Hemus motorway
- Агенция „Пътна инфраструктура“: АМ „Хемус“ СОП – гара „Яна“read Sep 25, 2026 · archived copy
- Trace Group Hold: Доизграждане на АМ „Хемус“read Sep 25, 2026
- Агенция „Пътна инфраструктура“: АМ „Хемус“, участък от км 78+500 до км 87+800read Sep 25, 2026 · archived copy
- News.bg: Първа копка на АМ „Хемус“ – отсечката Ябланица – Боаза (27 March 2018)read Sep 25, 2026
- Investor.bg: Откриха новия участък от АМ „Хемус“ между Ябланица и Боаза (11 October 2019)read Sep 25, 2026
- Mediapool: Пускат магистрала „Хемус“ от Буховци до Белокопитово с 2.5 г. закъснениеread Sep 25, 2026
- gradat.bg: Завършват предсрочно отсечката Белокопитово – Буховци на АМ „Хемус“read Sep 25, 2026
- Investor.bg: Участъкът от магистрала „Хемус“ Белокопитово – Буховци е пуснат за движениеread Sep 25, 2026
- Утро Русе (пресцентър на АПИ): На 23 април започва поетапното строителство на АМ „Хемус“ между Боаза и пътя Русе – Велико Търновоread Sep 25, 2026
- Агенция „Пътна инфраструктура“: Изграждане на АМ „Хемус“ от км 87+800 до км 222+000read Sep 28, 2026 · archived copy
- gradat.bg: Усилено се строи 16 км участък от Боаза до Дерманци на АМ „Хемус“ (17 April 2020)read Sep 28, 2026
- МРРБ: Започна поетапното строителство на АМ „Хемус“ между Боаза и пътя Русе – Велико Търново (23 April 2019)read Sep 28, 2026
- Ботевградски вести плюс, бр. 49 (6–11 декември 1999): Иван Костов откри участъка Правец – Ябланица на магистрала „Хемус“read Sep 28, 2026
- Уикипедия: Виадукт на километър 56 по АМ „Хемус“read Sep 28, 2026
- БНТ: 50 години магистрала „Хемус“ е в строеж – ще я видим ли завършена? (4 October 2024)read Oct 1, 2026
- Уикипедия: Хемус (магистрала)read Oct 1, 2026
- Уикипедия: Хемус (магистрала), първа версия от 27 март 2006read Oct 9, 2026
- Магистрала Хемус: Напредък по лотовеread Oct 5, 2026
- OpenStreetMap contributors (geometry, ODbL)read Aug 14, 2026
- MRRB: Current construction in Hemus Section 4 (1 Sep 2026)read Oct 12, 2026
- MRRB: Construction permit signed for Hemus Section 6 (7 May 2026)read Oct 12, 2026
Figures last checked against their sources in Oct 12, 2026.