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A3 Struma Motorway

A 172.8 km motorway in southwestern Bulgaria running Sofia–Pernik–Blagoevgrad–Kresna–Kulata, from the capital to the Greek border on Pan-European Corridor IV (European route E-79). Its first section opened in 2007 and the latest in 2024. The former Lyulin motorway (Sofia – Daskalovo) became part of it in December 2018. Lot 3.2 through the Kresna Gorge was still unbuilt as of 2026: Lot 3.2.2 has been under construction since November 2025 and Lot 3.2.1 is contracted.

Total length
166 km
Open today
142 km
Under construction
10 km
Sections
10
Cost on record
€1.3B
6 of 10 sections carry a comparable figure

Restated into EUR at 2025 prices.

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Sections

Sections of A3 Struma Motorway: status, length, dates, cost, funding and contractors
SectionsStatusLengthTimelineCostFundingContractorsContract terms
Sofia ring road – Daskalovo (former Lyulin motorway)

Built as the separate Lyulin motorway, 19.135 km from the Sofia ring road to the Daskalovo junction, with three tunnels (Malo Buchino, Lyulin, Golemo Buchino) and 26 bridges and viaducts. Contract signed 8 August 2006; officially opened 15 May 2011. A Council of Ministers decision of 27 December 2018 merged it into A3 Struma.

3031
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Opened19 km
  1. Aug 8, 2006Tender awarded
  2. Jan 31, 2007Construction start
  3. May 15, 2011Opened
–
  • European UnionISPA grant of EUR 135 million towards a total project value of EUR 185 million (Road Infrastructure Agency)
  • „Мапа Дженгиз“ ДЗЗДBuilder
–
Daskalovo – Dolna Dikanya (Lot 0)

Lot 0, km 287+450 to km 305+220. Open to traffic since 31 January 2007, but for years it had no use permit because the cadastral maps placed the road up to 20 m from where it was built. Its speed limit stayed at 90 km/h until the next section opened in July 2013.

31
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Opened18 km
  1. Jan 31, 2007Opened
––––
Dolna Dikanya – Dupnitsa North

First part of Lot 1, which runs from km 305+220 to km 322+000 (16.78 km). 13.98 km, to the Dupnitsa North junction, opened on 23 July 2013; the last 2.8 km (km 319+200 to km 322+000) is a separate lot. The cost and contract cover all 16.78 km.

110112531
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Opened14 km
  1. Sep 30, 2011Tender awarded
  2. Oct 1, 2011Construction start
  3. Jul 23, 2013Opened
  • Estimated лв100Mwhole programmeEstimated value in the March 2011 contract notice for additional design and construction, excluding VAT. Covers the whole 16.78 km Lot 1, including the 2.8 km opened in 2015.
  • European UnionCohesion Fund via Operational Programme Transport 2007–2013 (project Struma Motorway Lots 1, 2 and 4), with national co-financing
  • Консорциум „Струма – 1“ (Импреза АД, ГБС-Инфраструктурно строителство АД, Пътстрой-92 АД)Builder
23 mo execution · Contract value лв70.241M
Dupnitsa North – km 322 (end of Lot 1)

Last 2.8 km of Lot 1, km 319+200 to km 322+000, left out of the July 2013 opening and scheduled for October 2015. No separate opening date is published: when Lot 2 opened on 22 October 2015, the Road Infrastructure Agency listed all 16.78 km of Lot 1 as complete. Its cost is recorded on Dolna Dikanya – Dupnitsa North.

103132
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Opened3 km
  1. Sep 30, 2011Tender awarded
  2. Oct 1, 2011Construction start
  3. Oct 2015Opened
–
  • European UnionCohesion Fund via Operational Programme Transport 2007–2013 (project Struma Motorway Lots 1, 2 and 4), with national co-financing
  • Консорциум „Струма – 1“ (Импреза АД, ГБС-Инфраструктурно строителство АД, Пътстрой-92 АД)Builder
–
Dupnitsa – Blagoevgrad
1122627
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Opened37 km
  1. Feb 27, 2013Tender awarded
  2. Jul 31, 2013Construction start
  3. Oct 2015Opened
  • Estimated лв200Mworks onlyEstimated value in the February 2012 contract notice for design and construction, excluding VAT.
  • European UnionCohesion Fund via Operational Programme Transport 2007–2013 (project Struma Motorway Lots 1, 2 and 4), with national co-financing
  • Консорциум „Струма-Лот 2“ (Импреза АД, ГБС Инфраструктурно строителство АД, Пътстрой-92 АД)Builder
22 mo total · Contract value лв358.722M
Blagoevgrad – Krupnik

Contract duration converted from days: 1280 days for design and construction of the road sections. The Zheleznitsa tunnel, between km 366 and km 370+400, was a separate contract worth 185.37 million leva excluding VAT (News.bg, 2019).

1131429
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Opened13 km
  1. Dec 30, 2015Tender awarded
  2. Aug 2017Construction start
  3. Feb 17, 2024Opened
  • Estimated лв150Mworks onlyEstimated value in the August 2014 procurement notice for design and construction of the road sections (12.6 km, without the Zheleznitsa tunnel), excluding VAT.
  • Actual лв400M(2024)
  • European UnionCohesion Fund via Operational Programme Transport and Transport Infrastructure 2014–2020, Priority Axis 2 (project BG16M1OP001-2.001-0001, covering Struma Lot 3.1, Lot 3.3 and the Zheleznitsa tunnel), with national co-financing
  • ДЗЗД „АМ Струма 3.1“ (Агромах ЕООД, АБ АД, Хидрострой АД, Пътища Пловдив Груп ЕООД, Пътища Пловдив АД, Алве Консулт ЕООД; road sections)Builder
  • Консорциум „АМ Струма тунел 2018“ (ДЖИ ПИ ГРУП АД, Глобал кънстръкшън ООД, ВИА План ЕООД; Zheleznitsa tunnel)Builder
42 mo total · Contract value лв155M
Krupnik – Kresna (Lot 3.2.1)

Lot 3.2.1, km 375+860 to km 389+100, mainly the left (Kulata – Sofia) carriageway, with the Simitli (211 m), Rakitna (1135 m) and Stara Kresna (1052 m) tunnels. The contractor was selected on 15 November 2019 and the contract signed in 2023. In July 2026 the technical design was accepted and the parcel plans and building permit were pending; works may start by the end of 2026. The government aims to finish all of Lot 3.2 by mid-2029.

1731
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Tendered13 km
  1. 2023Tender awarded
  2. 2029Expected opening
––
  • ДЗЗД „АПП ЛОТ 3.2.1“ (Грома Холд ЕООД, Европейски пътища АД, Водно строителство – Благоевград АД, Пътпроект ЕООД, Вахостав-СК а.с.)Builder
Contract value €306M
Krupnik – Kresna (Kresna Gorge Bypass)

Contract duration converted from days: 1556 days.

11516171819
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Under construction
45 of 51 contracted months
10 km
  1. 2023Tender awarded
  2. Nov 27, 2025Construction start
  3. Dec 2029Expected opening
–
  • National budgetState budget. In 2019 the government committed up to 741.07 million leva for the whole of Lot 3.2 Krupnik – Kresna, then planned for partial Cohesion Fund co-financing under Operational Programme Transport and Transport Infrastructure 2014–2020. The EU money was lost through delays (Ilinden Press, 2026).
  • ДЗЗД „АМ СТРУМА – 3.2.2.“ (ГБС-Инфраструктурно строителство АД, ЕПОС-Емпреза Португеза де Обрас Субтеранеас АД, Главболгарстрой Интернешънъл АД)Builder
51 mo total · Contract value лв475.199M
Kresna – Sandanski

Contract duration converted from days: 1280 days for design and construction.

120212223
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Opened24 km
  1. Sep 25, 2015Tender awarded
  2. Aug 30, 2016Construction start
  3. Dec 17, 2018Opened
  • Estimated лв200Mworks onlyEstimated value in the 2014 procurement notice for design and construction, excluding VAT.
  • European UnionCohesion Fund via Operational Programme Transport and Transport Infrastructure 2014–2020, Priority Axis 2 (project BG16M1OP001-2.001-0001, covering Struma Lot 3.1, Lot 3.3 and the Zheleznitsa tunnel), with national co-financing
  • Консорциум „Струма Лот 3.3“ (ГБС инфраструктурно строителство АД, Пътстрой 92 АД, Главболгарстрой АД, Геострой АД)Builder
42 mo total · Contract value лв234.123M
Sandanski – Kulata
12428
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Opened15 km
  1. Mar 19, 2012Tender awarded
  2. Apr 2012Construction start
  3. Aug 2015Opened
  • Estimated лв86.057Mworks onlyEstimated value in the February 2011 prior information notice for additional design and construction, excluding VAT.
  • European UnionCohesion Fund via Operational Programme Transport 2007–2013 (project Struma Motorway Lots 1, 2 and 4), with national co-financing
  • АКТОР АСДBuilder
23 mo execution · Contract value лв67.176M

Contractor roles are as recorded in the award. Only builders count toward the delivery rankings.

Funding

  • European Union124 km
    7 sections
    • ISPA grant of EUR 135 million towards a total project value of EUR 185 million (Road Infrastructure Agency)
    • Cohesion Fund via Operational Programme Transport 2007–2013 (project Struma Motorway Lots 1, 2 and 4), with national co-financing
    • Cohesion Fund via Operational Programme Transport and Transport Infrastructure 2014–2020, Priority Axis 2 (project BG16M1OP001-2.001-0001, covering Struma Lot 3.1, Lot 3.3 and the Zheleznitsa tunnel), with national co-financing
  • National budget10 km
    1 section
    • State budget. In 2019 the government committed up to 741.07 million leva for the whole of Lot 3.2 Krupnik – Kresna, then planned for partial Cohesion Fund co-financing under Operational Programme Transport and Transport Infrastructure 2014–2020. The EU money was lost through delays (Ilinden Press, 2026).

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

Corridors

The designations this project is recorded under. Both schemes are kept: the Pan-European corridors are how these projects were described when they were planned, and TEN-T is what EU money is allocated on today.

  • Pan-European Corridor IVPan-European

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: A3 motorway (Bulgaria)
  2. Wikipedia: Pernik, Bulgaria
  3. Wikipedia: Dupnitsa, Bulgaria
  4. Wikipedia: Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
  5. Wikipedia: Krupnik, Blagoevgrad Province
  6. Wikipedia: Kresna, Bulgaria
  7. Wikipedia: Sandanski, Bulgaria
  8. Wikipedia: Kulata, Bulgaria
  9. OpenStreetMap contributors (geometry, ODbL)read Aug 14, 2026
  10. API: АМ „Струма” Лот 1, участък „Долна Диканя – Дупница” (archived 2013-07-27)read Sep 25, 2026 · archived copy
  11. API: АМ „Струма“ (project overview, archived 2014-01-08)read Sep 25, 2026 · archived copy
  12. API: Автомагистрала „Струма“ ЛОТ 2, участък „Дупница – Благоевград” (archived 2023-03-10)read Sep 25, 2026 · archived copy
  13. API: АМ "Струма" - лот 3.1 (archived 2023-03-10)read Sep 25, 2026 · archived copy
  14. News.bg: "Джи Пи Груп" строи тунел "Железница" на АМ "Струма" (2019-10-23)read Sep 25, 2026
  15. Gradat.bg: ДЗЗД „АМ СТРУМА – 3.2.2.“ с участието на ГБС ще изпълнява лот 3.2.2 от АМ "Струма" (2020-12-09)read Sep 25, 2026
  16. Economic.bg: Издадено е разрешение за строеж за „Струма“ през Кресна (2025-11-11)read Sep 25, 2026
  17. Economic.bg: Започва същинското строителство на магистралата през Кресна в посока София (2026-07-08)read Sep 25, 2026
  18. Илинден Прес: Държавата ще финансира изграждането на АМ Струма през Кресненското дефиле (2026-08-13)read Sep 25, 2026
  19. Gradat.bg: Правителството отпуска 741 млн. лв. за строежа на Лот 3.2 Крупник – Кресна на АМ Струма (2019-08-07)read Sep 25, 2026
  20. API: АМ "Струма" - лот 3.3 (archived 2023-03-10)read Sep 25, 2026 · archived copy
  21. АОП: Обявление, проектиране и строителство на Лот 3.3 на АМ „Струма“ (2014, преписка 03461-2014-0006)read Sep 25, 2026
  22. eufunds.bg: Лот 3.3 Кресна – Сандански (2018-12-11)read Sep 25, 2026
  23. NOVA: Откриват още 24 км от АМ „Струма“ между Кресна и Сандански (2018-12-16)read Sep 25, 2026
  24. API: АМ „СТРУМА” ЛОТ 4, участък „Сандански – Кулата“ (archived 2024-12-28)read Sep 25, 2026 · archived copy
  25. TED 2011/S 49-080180: Определяне на изпълнител за допълнително проектиране и строителството на обект „АМ Струма“ лот №1 Долна Диканя – Дупница от км 305+220 до км 322+000 (2011-03-11)read Sep 28, 2026
  26. Пътстрой-92: Започна строителството на Лот 2 от автомагистрала „Струма“ (2013-07-31)read Sep 28, 2026
  27. TED 2012/S 41-066384: Определяне на изпълнител за проектиране и строителството на обект: Автомагистрала „Струма“ лот 2, участък Дупница – Благоевград (2012-02-29)read Sep 28, 2026
  28. TED 2011/S 43-070174: Обявление за предварителна информация, АМ „Струма“ лот 4, участък „Сандански – Кулата“ (2011-03-03)read Sep 28, 2026
  29. АОП: Обявление за поръчка, проектиране и строителство на Лот 3.1 на АМ „Струма“ (2014, преписка 03461-2014-0005)read Sep 28, 2026
  30. Уикипедия: Люлин (магистрала)read Oct 2, 2026
  31. Уикипедия: Струма (магистрала)read Oct 2, 2026
  32. Auto-press.net (from api.bg): Завърши изграждането на участъка Дупница – Благоевград от АМ „Струма“ (2015-10-23)read Oct 2, 2026