Turkey's Mapa-Cengiz company emerged as the winning bidder for the construction of Lyulin highway, which will belt the capital Sofia. The contract for the construction of the key motorway was signed Tuesday between a company's representative and Vesselin Georgiev, chief of the Bulgarian Road Authority.
Talking after the signature ceremony, Georgiev was hopeful construction works will open by October. Projects are that the construction of some 20 km of the motorway will be carried out in a three year-period.

The highway project is worth a total of EUR 137.382 M. The European Commission will provide 75% of the funding as free aid, while the Bulgarian government will grant the remainder of 25%, Ralitsa Vassileva from Darik News reported. The Lyulin project envisages the construction of three tunnels and 26 bridges and viaducts, since the motorway will pass through the Stara Planina Mountain. Lyulin motorway is a part of European passageway N4, which links the northern town of Vidin with the capital Sofia and one of Bulgaria's southern border checkpoints Kulata.

A parallel tender for the selection of supervisor on the project is under way. A total of eight companies have been short-listed by the European Commission, the head of the Road Authority reminded.