Botevgrad-Vidin expressway

{{Short description|Road in Bulgaria}}

{{Infobox road

| country = BGR

| name = Vidin - Montana motorway

| translation = Автомагистрала "Видин - Монтана"

| lang = bg

| length_km = 18.5

| length_notes = {{convert|88|km|abbr=on}} under construction
{{convert|176|km|abbr=on}} planned

| terminus_a = Vidin, New Europe Bridge, E79; {{Flagicon|Romania|size=20px}}

| terminus_b = Botevgrad, E79, Image:Mw A2 BG.svg

| cities = Mezdra, Vratsa, Montana

| map = Vidin-botevgrad expressway.svg

| map_notes = Vidin-Botevgrad expressway highlighted

}}

The Vidin-Botevgrad expressway ({{Langx|bg|Скоростен път „Видин-Ботевград“ |translit=Skorosten pat "Vidin-Botevgrad"}}) is a planned expressway in Bulgaria, that will link the A2 Hemus motorway with Vidin and the New Europe Bridge, at the Danube border crossing to Romania. The expressway shall provide grade-separated dual carriageway with two lanes in each direction and it shall replace or supersede the existing I-1 road.

The route is part of the Pan-European Corridor IV. It is also part of the European route E79, that runs from Miskolc (Hungary) to Thessaloniki (Greece) and part of the proposed Via Carpatia route.

In June 2014, tenders for construction of two sections between Botevgrad and Mezdra were announced.{{cite web|title="Определяне на изпълнител за допълнително проектиране и строителство на обект: "Път І–1 (Е-79) "Мездра – Ботевград" Лот 1, от км 174+800 до км 194+122"|url=http://www.aop.bg/case2.php?mode=show_doc&doc_id=612076&newver=2|language=Bulgarian|date=2014-06-27|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923172632/http://www.aop.bg/case2.php?mode=show_doc&doc_id=612076&newver=2|archivedate=2015-09-23}}{{cite web|title="Определяне на изпълнител за допълнително проектиране и строителство на обект: "Път І–1 (Е-79) "Мездра – Ботевград" Лот 2, от км 161+367 до км 174+800"|url=http://www.aop.bg/case2.php?mode=show_doc&doc_id=612092&newver=2|language=Bulgarian|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923172635/http://www.aop.bg/case2.php?mode=show_doc&doc_id=612092&newver=2|archivedate=2015-09-23}} In September 2014, the Road Infrastructure Agency announced that construction of Vidin-Botevgrad expressway shall be financed by an EIB loan.{{cite news|title=Развитието на коридор №4 по направлението Видин – Ботевград е ключов приоритет на АПИ|url=http://www.api.bg/index.php/bg/prescentar/novini/razvitieto-na-koridor-4-po-napravlenieto-vidin--botevgrad-e-klyuchov-prioritet-na-api/|publisher=RIA|date=September 1, 2014|language=Bulgarian |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417145110/http://www.api.bg/index.php/bg/prescentar/novini/razvitieto-na-koridor-4-po-napravlenieto-vidin--botevgrad-e-klyuchov-prioritet-na-api/ |archive-date=2015-04-17}}

In the end of December 2015, the bypass of Montana was inaugurated.{{cite news|title=Над 46,5 млн. лв. са инвестирани в изграждането на обходния път на Монтана|url=http://www.api.bg/index.php/bg/prescentar/novini/nad-465-mln-lv-sa-investirani-v-izgrazhdaneto-na-obhodniya-pt-na-montana/|publisher=RIA|date=29 December 2015|language=bg|access-date=29 December 2015|archive-date=4 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804192821/http://www.api.bg/index.php/bg/prescentar/novini/nad-465-mln-lv-sa-investirani-v-izgrazhdaneto-na-obhodniya-pt-na-montana/|url-status=dead}}