Editing Transport in Bulgaria (section)

== Road transport ==
[[File:Bulgaria Highways.png|left|thumb|Bulgarian motorway network]]
[[File:AM Evropa Dragoman-Slivnica 2.jpg|thumb|[[Europe motorway]] (A6) at [[Slivnitsa]]]]
Bulgaria has nearly 40,000&nbsp;kilometers of roads, of which 19,968&nbsp;km form the national road network and another 19,500&nbsp;km are part of the municipal network.<ref name="nsi roads"/><ref name="namrb"/> 879&nbsp;kilometers of high-speed highways were in service in 2024.<ref name="nsi1">{{cite web|url=http://www.nsi.bg/en/content/7203/national-road-network-road-category |title=National road network by road category|publisher=National Statistical Institute|access-date=2016-04-29}}</ref><ref name="nsi2">{{cite web|url=http://www.nsi.bg/en/content/7205/national-road-network-type-pavement|title=National road network by type of pavement|publisher=National Statistical Institute|access-date=2016-04-29}}</ref> Over 98% of all national roads are paved.<ref name="nsi1" /><ref name="nsi2" /><ref>Note: As of 2002 Category IV roads are not considered national roads but are managed directly by municipalities and are not reported to the central agency.</ref> Roads have overtaken the railroads as the chief mode of freight transportation.

Long-term plans call for upgrading higher-quality roads and integrating the road system into the European grid. The focus is on improving road connectors with the neighbouring countries and domestic connections linking major cities, such as Sofia, Plovdiv, Burgas, Varna and [[Ruse, Bulgaria|Ruse]]. Bulgaria has delayed building some key highway connections since the 1990s, but European Union membership is a strong incentive for completion. A 114-kilometer link between eastern Bulgaria and the Turkish border is scheduled for completion in 2013. As of 2004, two international highways passed through Bulgaria, and a major highway ran from Sofia to the [[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast|Black Sea coast]]. Proposed international corridors would pass from north to south, from [[Vidin]] to the border with Greece and from Ruse to the border with Greece, and west to east, from Serbia through Sofia to Burgas, Varna, and Edirne (Turkey). The [[New Europe Bridge|Vidin-Calafat bridge]] was completed in 2013, relieving road and railroad traffic to Romania.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-22901318|title=One-mile-long bridge across Danube due to open|date=June 14, 2013|access-date=2016-05-02|publisher=[[BBC]]}}</ref>

=== Motorways and expressways ===
[[File:Bulgaria Highways EN.svg|350px|thumbnail|Motorways construction timeline]]
{{Main|Highways in Bulgaria}}
*[[Image:Mw A1 BG.svg|25px]] [[Trakia motorway]] – [[Sofia]] – [[Plovdiv]] – [[Stara Zagora]] – [[Yambol]] – [[Karnobat]] – [[Burgas]]  ''(completed)''
*[[Image:Mw A2 BG.svg|25px]] [[Hemus motorway]] – [[Sofia]] – [[Yablanitsa]] – [[Shumen]] – [[Varna, Bulgaria|Varna]] ''([[Yablanitsa]] to [[Shumen]] remaining)''
*[[Image:Mw A3 BG.svg|25px]] [[Struma motorway]] – [[Sofia]] – [[Pernik]] – [[Blagoevgrad]] – [[Kulata]] (Greece) ''(under construction)''
*[[Image:Mw A4 BG.svg|25px]] [[Maritsa motorway]] – [[Chirpan]] to [[Kapitan Andreevo]] (Turkey) ''(''completed'')''
*[[Image:Mw A5 BG.svg|25px]] [[Cherno More motorway]] – [[Varna, Bulgaria|Varna]] to [[Burgas]] ''(planned)''
*[[Image:Mw A6 BG.svg|25px]] [[Europe motorway]] – [[Sofia]] – Kalotina (Serbia) ''(under construction)''
*[[Image:Mw A7 BG.svg|25px]] [[Veliko Tarnovo–Ruse motorway]] [[Veliko Tarnovo]] – [[Rousse]] (Romania) ''(planned)''

=== Major roads ===
*[[Image:Nat road 1 BG.svg|25px]] [[I-1 road (Bulgaria)|I-1 road]]
*[[Image:Nat road 2 BG.svg|25px]] [[I-2 road (Bulgaria)|I-2 road]]
*[[Image:Nat road 3 BG.svg|25px]] [[I-3 road (Bulgaria)|I-3 road]]
*[[Image:Nat road 4 BG.svg|25px]] [[I-4 road (Bulgaria)|I-4 road]]
*[[Image:Nat road 5 BG.svg|25px]] [[I-5 road (Bulgaria)|I-5 road]]
*[[Image:Nat road 6 BG.svg|25px]] [[I-6 road (Bulgaria)|I-6 road]]
*[[Image:Nat road 7 BG.svg|25px]] [[I-7 road (Bulgaria)|I-7 road]]
*[[Image:Nat road 8 BG.svg|25px]] [[I-8 road (Bulgaria)|I-8 road]]
*[[Image:Nat road 9 BG.svg|25px]] [[I-9 road (Bulgaria)|I-9 road]]
*[[Image:Nat road 18 BG.svg|25px]] [[Sofia Ring Road]]

===Long-distance public transport===
[[File:Central Bus Station Sofia 2012 PD 08 03.jpg|thumb|The Central Bus Station in Sofia]]
Buses are frequently used in Bulgaria for long-distance travel. Long-distance coaches depart from Sofia from the Central, West and South Bus Stations, international routes are served by the Serdika Station. Besides public buses, coaches are also operated by private companies, like Union-Ivkoni, Biomet or Etap-Grup. Tickets can be purchased at the offices of these companies, at stations and from the bus driver. Some companies offer online booking. There are numerous international destinations to a number of European countries, as well as Turkey.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://flipfloppeople.com/Domestic-and-International-Bus-Routes-in-Bulgaria-26|title=Buses and Coaches in Bulgaria|publisher=Flip Flop People's|access-date=2016-05-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lonelyplanet.com/bulgaria/transport/getting-around/bus|title=Bulgaria: Bus|access-date=2016-05-02|publisher=Lonely Planet}}</ref> [[Share taxi]]s called ''marshrutka'' operate in Sofia, and in the countryside between smaller settlements.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lonelyplanet.com/bulgaria/transport/getting-around/local-transport|title=Bulgaria: Local Transport|publisher=Lonely Planet|access-date=2016-05-02}}</ref>