Regional development minister Ivan Shishkov told parliament he will insist that a new agreement on Plovdiv's southeastern bypass sets a clear deadline.

Shishkov was answering a question from Angel Georgiev, an MP from the Vazrazhdane group.

"A second agreement is coming, and I will insist that its deadline is the end of 2027 – clear and precisely fixed," the minister said. He said it will be the last document, once the project is redesigned for the final time.

The section runs from the Skobeleva Mayka junction to the road to Asenovgrad. The main contract with the builder, Trace Group Hold, dates from 27 July 2022. Work has been halted for a time because of technical and design problems.

Shishkov said unfavourable engineering and geological conditions were found during construction, and the ground could not bear the required load. The soil stabilisation project was therefore redesigned and drainage work was added.

An annex covering this work was signed on 22 October 2026. It extends the contract deadline and in effect moves it to the start of 2028.

The builder publicly promised to look for a way to finish the site by the end of 2027. It made the promise during an inspection on 8 September, which prime minister Rumen Radev attended. The ministry and the Road Infrastructure Agency will be guided by this promise, Shishkov said.

The second additional agreement will set out the work and the coordination with the National Railway Infrastructure Company at the overpass above the Plovdiv – Dimitrovgrad railway line.

The minister said his ministry is working on all parts of the Plovdiv ring road. He said it is one of the government's biggest infrastructure priorities, alongside the Sofia ring road.