I-5 road (Bulgaria)

Republic Road I-5
Републикански път I-5
I-5 road highlighted in orange
Route information
Length:	397.3 km (246.9 mi)
Major junctions
From:	Danube Bridge ;
To:	Makaza ;
Location
Major cities:	Ruse, Byala, Veliko Tarnovo, Gabrovo, Kazanlak, Stara Zagora, Dimitrovgrad, Haskovo, Kardzhali, Momchilgrad
Highway system
Transport in Bulgaria

Republic road I-5 (Bulgarian: Републикански път I-5) is a major road in central Bulgaria. It runs between Danube Bridge, at the Danube border with Romania, and the Makaza pass, at the border crossing to Greece. The total length of the road is 397.3 km (246.9 mi). Most of it provides one driving lane per direction. Road I-5 follows European route E85 from Ruse to Haskovo.

Road I-5 begins from Danube Bridge, at the Danube border with Romania. The road bypasses Ruse and runs south. It bypasses Veliko Tarnovo and then turns southwest before reaching Gabrovo. In February 2015, the government announced plans to build Veliko Tarnovo–Ruse motorway, that will supersede I-5.

Currently the road passes through the Balkan Mountains via the Shipka Pass (el. 1,150 m (3,770 ft). To improve the traffic conditions, a 3.2 km tunnel is planned to be built. The construction of the Gabrovo bypass, the first stage of the project, already has begun in 2013. The heavyweight freight traffic uses another road through the Pass of the Republic to cross the mountain.