A list of potentially "critical" sections of the highways around the country has been compiled and released to traffic police. That way snow-clearing equipment can be deployed on time and additional measures installed to "secure the safety and security of citizens", Ivan Atanasov the executive manager of the National Agency for Road Infrastructure, said.

Vulnerable segments of the highways have been designated as the sections around Vladaya, on the Sofia Circular Road en route to Gorna Bania, Dragichevo, Muhovo, and the intersection leading to Blagoevgrad. The Shipka pass in the Balkan mountain range will be closed for the entire winter. That section's traffic will be relieved by the Haiboaz pass, which has been opened for operation.

The National Agency for Road Infrastructure is about to declare its final decision regarding the public tender for future highway and road projects. This week the agency will investigate every auction, according to Ivan Atanasov. Privatisations, public tenders, archeology, preliminary studies, project planning - are just some of the aspects that need to be ironed out. "It is better to declare the construction projects a bit later on, than declare them hastily and then realise that some of the preliminary measures regarding aforementioned projects are yet to be completed," said Atanasov, as quoted by Stroitelstvo weekly.

Accordingly, the public auction for both projects of the operative programme "Transport" - the section between Kurdzhali - Podkova and the Sofia Circular Road, as well as Hemus, Struma and Maritza highways, will be postponed until early next year. Those projects were initially halted, but they will be subject to further review. Ivan Atanasov said that the European Commission will be investigating the progress surrounding some of those projects, one of them being Lyulin highway, which has been subjected under the Ministry of Transportation as of October 30 2008.

On November 28, the National Agency for Road Infrastructure and the Ministry of Interior signed a co-operation agreement. This provides for mutual assistance during the winter months and measures that need to be implemented in the sphere of traffic control on all national roads in the winter. Therefore, in emergency situations, the Ministry of Interior will be able to deploy units nationwide and facilitate the regulation of traffic. Road Infrastructure and the police will also co-operate in road clearance and road maintenance during the winter "on critical sections of the highways", presumably a reference to high mountain passes and other "strategic" sections.