Maritsa Highway, a consortium between Bulgarian company Patonstroitelna Tehnika and Austria's Porr Technobau und Umwelt, has won the tender for building the second section of the Maritsa motorway.

The 34-kilometre stretch links the towns of Dimitrovgrad and Harmanly, in southern Bulgaria.

The consortium offered the lowest price of BGN 122.137 million for the section, compared with an estimated cost of BGN 200 million. The approved construction costs translate into a price of EUR 1.83 million per kilometre. The highest price offered at the tender, BGN 171.5 million, was filed by Greek company Terna.

"The tender for the second lot of the Maritsa motorway broke three records - for number of tenders (14), open prices (10) and cost per kilometre," regional development minister Rossen Plevneliev said.

The first section of the motorway, connecting the towns of Orizovo and Dimitrovgrad, will be built by Italian Cooperativa Muratori e Cementisti for BGN 133 million.