Road Designs in Bulgaria will be According to the Intensity of Traffic and Built to Last for Many Years
Road infrastructure in Bulgaria will be designed according to the intensity of traffic for 30 years ahead. This is the new Ordinance on Road Design, which has already been promulgated in the State Gazette, the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works announced. It introduces increased requirements for drainage of the roadway, with the aim of avoiding water collection and creating pothole conditions.
In areas with more complex traffic, lighting will be provided to provide greater visibility and safety. The requirement applies to motorway and highway junctions, as well as to road junctions of first-class roads.
The new regulation gives greater freedom in determining the design speed for each class of road depending on the transport functions and the peculiarities of the terrain. If the motorway passes through a plane terrain, the design speed will be 140 km / h, in the hilly terrain - 130 km / h, and in the mountain - 120 km / h. Under heavy terrain conditions, motorways can be designed at a design speed of 100 km / h and speed roads with a design speed of 90 km / h. The first-class roads have a maximum design speed of 100 km / h. (The design speed is different from the maximum permitted speed specified in the Road Traffic Act but can not be exceeded).
Highway safety zones will be set up along the motorways and roads. The aim is to protect both the drivers and passengers and the people on the roadside parking lots, the recreational grounds, pedestrian areas, etc. when the vehicles leave the roadway. The range of the area will be determined according to the road class and the maximum permissible speed for vehicles.
The space surrounding the motorways must be 16 m wide at a maximum speed of 140 km, for speed roads - 13 m at a maximum speed of 120 km / h. First-class, second-class and third-class roads must provide 8 meters. The width may be smaller if local speed limits are introduced in a given area.
The new Road Design Ordinance also categorizes hazards. The pillars, trees, noise barriers and retaining walls, concrete elements and others are posing most risk for people traveling with vehicles. Rivers and trenches with a depth of more than 1 meter also pose risk of serious injuries. The normative document provides for the design of risk elements and facilities in the safety zone to be avoided. And if that is not possible, they must be secured according to the standards.
New environmental requirements are introduced. It is envisaged the construction of facilities from the so- "Green" infrastructure - these are green bridges, tunnels and viaducts that ensure unimpeded passage of animals on their traditional routes. And tunnels for bears, badgers, tortoises or other animals are being built, mostly on European-funded projects. But the measure has so far not been explicitly laid down in an ordinance.