Scientific paper ID 889 : 2013/3

In the report is traced the historical development of the road infrastructure on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria. The territory which takes central place on the Balkan peninsula, due to which it was an object of many conflicts and during the separate historical periods it was ruled by different countries. The historical development of the road infrastructure is split by the author on three main periods. The first period comprises of the Antiquity and the Middle Ages and it s the times before the Liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman slavery. During this period the roads are used by cartful transport for which the vehicles are powered with the help of harnessed animals. The second period is from the liberation till the end of XX century. During this period automobiles powered by liquid fuel are entering and are distributed worldwide making them the main overland transport. The third period is reviewed in more detail because it is the shortest and covers the time after the year 2000. Over this period our country enters the European Union and the motorization of the population is constantly rising.

The whole elaboration is based on the traced historical development of the road infrastructure in Bulgaria, to bring out and substantiate guidelines for its future course. When we take under account the constant rise of the motorization of the population, the strategic location of the country and the directed from the membership in the European Union necessity, the national road infrastructure in the shortest possible terms to be integrated with the Europe-wide.