THE SOFIA-BOTEVGRAD ROAD

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A004900770004-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 16, 2007
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: July 1, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2007/07/16: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA004900770004-3
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
COUNTRY Bulgaria
DATE OF INFO.
PLACE ACQUIRED
This Document contains information affecting the Na-
tional Defense of the United States, within the mean.
ing of Title 18, Sections 793 and 794, of the U.S. Code, as
amended. Its transmission or revelation of its contents
to or receipt by an unauthorized person Is prohibited
by law. The reproduction of this form is prohibited.
SECT--U. S. OFFICIALS ONLY
REPORT
DATE DISTR. 1 October 1954
NO. OF PAGES ; 2
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
1. The Sofia-Botevgrad road is 63 kilometers long. N l&2-l42, E 23-31 is 16 kilometers long-at which The t road main roads ue easttofn e Sofia divides. The eastern branch continues to Levskigrad(formerly Kar ovo
t )oF
and beyond, and the north-eastern branch goes to Botevgrad. Up to this point
the road is paved with stone paving blocks interspersed with short sections of
macadam. The width of the road varies between five and eight meters and is
flanked by earth shoulders between one and two meters in width. In those places
where, in the past, the paved road'had been only five to six meters wide, work
is now in progress to extend it by paving part of the wide shoulders.
2. The road from location N J42-12, E 23-31 to Churek (N 42-46, E 23.43) is 20 kilo-
meters long. Its paving is in good condition, it is five meters wide, and has
one; meter wide shoulders on.either side.
3. The Murgash Pass road car; be said to start at Churek and to end at approximate
N b2-1.8, E 23-146 where the old Sofia-Botevgrad road joins the present, one. Its
is 19 kilometers long and is a well-constructed mountain road with wide curves
and no particularly steep grades, although the ascent from the Botevgrad side is
somewhat steeper than that from the Sofia side. The road is suitable for and is
used by all types of traffic including medium tanks. It is approximately meters wide throuhout six
g , but there are two short bridges about 3.5 meters wide
which=tend to cause traffic bottlenecks. During 1952 and even more bo in 1953,
the crushed stone and earth road surface deteriorated on the Sofia side to such
an extent thatla?ge.-seal a road works were started in June 19514 and completed b
the middle of A new layer of stone chips was laid, levelled by a
grader, and steamrollered by a team of up to ten' steamrollers.
SECRET--U. S. OFFIC IAIS . ONLY
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Approved For Release 2007/07/16: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA004900770004-3
 Approved For Release 2007/07/16: CIA-RDP80-00810A004900770004-3
SECRET--U. S. OFFICIALS ONLY
4. The road fran location N 42-118, E 23-16 to Botevgrad (N 42-5L , E 23-48) is 10
kilometers long. Except for the'final kilometer into Botevgrad which is paved,
the surface consists of the usual crashed stone and dirt. Until the snr3 my of
1954, this stretch (except the paved sections) was in very bad condition, but
has since been resurfaced and is now free of holes. The drainagehas also been
improved. The road is six to seven meters wide and-is flanked by one meter wide
earth shoulders.
Comment: Now that repairs have been completed, it is possible for the
s an and -type private car to cover the 63 kilometers of the S.of ia-Botevgrad
road via Murgash Pass in one hour.
SECRET--U. S. OFFICIALS ONLY
Approved For Release 2007/07/16: CIA-RDP80-00810A004900770004-3