API Analysis: Roads in Northern Bulgaria Are in Systematically Poor Condition.

The condition of roads is one of the most visible indicators of the quality of public investment. Data from the Road Infrastructure Agency show highly uneven infrastructure quality: motorways and first-class roads remain the focus of maintenance, but even they include significant sections with severe damage. In a number of regions, especially in northern Bulgaria, the poor condition of road surfaces has already become a systemic problem.

The data reviewed were provided by the Road Infrastructure Agency under the Access to Public Information Act and show the condition of road surfaces as of the end of 2025. What is important for the current debate is that the data describe only the road surface itself, not the accompanying physical infrastructure, such as guardrails, signs, lighting and similar elements.

The review concerns the condition of the national road network. Municipal roads are outside its scope, as they are not the responsibility of the Agency. Roads are classified into three categories: in good condition, with damage below 10%; in average condition, with damage between 10% and 30%; and in poor condition, with damage above 30%.

Against the backdrop of significant public spending on maintenance, the results raise the question not only of how much the state spends on roads, but also what effect this spending achieves. This is stated in an analysis by economist Adrian Nikolov from the Institute for Market Economics, cited by Focus.

According to him, the lower the road class, the worse its condition — as expected, given that current maintenance is focused on the busiest part of the network.