Republican road I-3 () is a first class road in northern
Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
. It runs between
I-5 road near the town of
Byala, and
I-1 road, at
Botevgrad
Botevgrad ( ) is a town in western Bulgaria. It is located in Sofia Province and is close to Pravets. Botevgrad lies 47 km from Sofia.
History and name
The village was called Samundzhievo (Самунджиево) until it was elevated to ...
. The total length of the road is and is part of the
European route E83.
The road passes though the provinces of
Ruse,
Veliko Tarnovo
Veliko Tarnovo (, ; "Great Tarnovo") is a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. It is the historical and spiritual capital of Bulgaria.
Often referred to as the "''City of the Tsars''", Velik ...
,
Pleven
Pleven ( ) is the seventh most populous city in Bulgaria. Located in the northern part of the country, it is the administrative centre of Pleven Province, as well as of the subordinate Pleven municipality. It is the biggest economic center in ...
,
Lovech
Lovech (, ) is a city in north-central Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the Lovech Province and of the subordinate Lovech Municipality. The city is located about northeast from the capital city of Sofia. Near Lovech are the towns of ...
and
Sofia
Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...
.
Description
Road I-3 begins from a junction with the first class
I-5 road on the left bank of the river
Yantra
Yantra (; 'machine'/'contraption') is a geometrical diagram, mainly from the Tantric traditions of the Indian religions. Yantras are used for the worship of deities in temples or at home; as an aid in meditation; and for the benefits believe ...
, west of the town of
Byala in Ruse Province. It runs west through the
Danubian Plain, passes through the village of
Peychinovo and reaches Veliko Tarnovo Province. There, it runs through the villages of
Maslarevo,
Gorna Studena and
Ovcha Mogila, where it crosses the river
Barata, and then reaches Pleven Province. The road passes through
Kozar Belene, crosses the
Osam
The Osam ( ) is a river in northern Bulgaria, a right tributary of the Danube. Its length including the main stem Cherni (Black) Osam is 314 km, making it the fifth longest river in Bulgaria. The river proper, formed by the confluence of the ...
, and continues west through the villages of
Obnova and
Totleben, before reaching
Pleven
Pleven ( ) is the seventh most populous city in Bulgaria. Located in the northern part of the country, it is the administrative centre of Pleven Province, as well as of the subordinate Pleven municipality. It is the biggest economic center in ...
, the
seventh largest city in Bulgaria. It bypasses Pleven from the north and northwest, crosses the river
Vit, and turns southwest.
The road passes through
Dolni Dabnik
Dolni Dabnik ( ) is a town in Pleven Province in the Danubian Plain (Bulgaria), Danubian Plain of central northern Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of Dolni Dabnik municipality and lies to the west of the city of Pleven. As of December 20 ...
,
Gorni Dabnik,
Telish and
Radomirtsi, and enters Lovech Province. It ascends along the left banks of the river
Zlatna Panega, runs through the town of
Lukovit and the villages of
Petrevene,
Rumyantsevo and
Zlatna Panega, and reaches its Km 155.8, where a junction forms the beginning of the first class
I-4 road.
The I-2 then enters the fore-Balkan, running in parallel to the
Hemus motorway for some 28 km. It passes through the town of
Yablanitsa and enters Sofia Province at the villages of
Dzhurovo, where at its Km 171.7 starts the second class
II-37 road.
Southwest of Dzhurovo it crosses the river
Malki Iskar and then runs through the villages of
Osikovitsa,
Osikovska Lakavitsa and
Praveshka Lakavitsa, reaching the northern outskirts of the town of
Pravets
Pravets or Pravetz (, also transliterated as Pravec, ) is a town in Pravets Municipality in central western Bulgaria, located approximately from the capital Sofia. Pravets is home town of Pravetz computers.
Pravets has a population of 4,512 pe ...
. The road turns west, passes through the village of
Razliv between the fore-Balkan to the north and the
Balkan Mountains
The Balkan mountain range is located in the eastern part of the Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It is conventionally taken to begin at the peak of Vrashka Chuka on the border between Bulgaria and Serbia. It then runs f ...
to the south, and enters
Botevgrad Valley. There, it runs through the villages of
Trudovets and the town of
Botevgrad
Botevgrad ( ) is a town in western Bulgaria. It is located in Sofia Province and is close to Pravets. Botevgrad lies 47 km from Sofia.
History and name
The village was called Samundzhievo (Самунджиево) until it was elevated to ...
, where it reaches its terminus at Km 190.2 of the first class
I-1 road.
References
External links
*
*
{{Motorways in Bulgaria
Roads in Bulgaria