18-kilometer truck queue forms at Bulgaria’s Kapitan Andreevo border crossing

An 18-kilometer queue of trucks formed on Sunday evening on the road to Bulgaria’s Kapitan Andreevo border crossing, as heavy commercial traffic caused delays for vehicles heading into Türkiye.

The queue stretched between the town of Svilengrad and the Kapitan Andreevo crossing on the Maritsa motorway. Bulgarian Border Police attributed the buildup to increased commercial traffic in recent days.

BORDER CROSSING OPERATING AT FULL CAPACITY

Authorities said 710 freight vehicles were processed toward Türkiye during the previous 24 hours, reaching the crossing’s reported daily capacity.

The heavy truck traffic led to a significant buildup on the Bulgarian side of the border. Bulgarian authorities said traffic-management measures were introduced in the area to reduce the risk of accidents, while traffic police teams from the Haskovo Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior were deployed along the route.

The queue began to ease on Monday morning. According to Bulgarian National Radio, it had fallen from 18 kilometers overnight to around 15 kilometers early Monday and stood at approximately 13 kilometers at 9 a.m.

SEASONAL TRADE FLOW DRIVES CONGESTION

Kapitan Andreevo officials said the congestion was linked to the unusually high volume of truck traffic toward Türkiye during this period of the year rather than the ongoing reconstruction work at the crossing.

The crossing is currently undergoing improvement works. Bulgarian officials said the construction is not affecting the truck-processing regime and is not responsible for the latest queue. Once completed, the project is expected to increase the crossing’s capacity by approximately 25%.

The congestion highlights the continuing importance of Kapitan Andreevo–Kapıkule, one of the main commercial gateways between the European Union and Türkiye.