Sofia Allocates 326.4m Leva For Design, Construction

More than one third of Sofia's budget for 2008, or 326.35 million leva, has been allocated for design works and new construction, Stroitelstvo Gradut weekly reported on March 10. The total budget is 892.9 million leva.

Sofia city hall's investment programme stipulates that the money will be split among urban development research, new construction, repair works and expropriation procedures. The initial programme provided for repairs of Georgi Rakovski Street and Vassil Levski Boulevard, but the plans had to be scrapped, saving four million leva, which have been re-distributed for the construction of new kindergartens. The total sum to be invested in new kinder gardens reached 10 million leva.

The biggest chunk of the funds, 153.75 million leva, has been allocated for the development of the metro network, Stroitelstvo Gradut weekly reported. The construction of the underground stretch between Interpred business centre and Mladost neighbourhood will be financed with 21 million leva.

Some 69 million leva, granted by the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation, will go for the construction of the stretch between Sveta Nedelya station and the junction between Evlogi Georgiev and Dragan Tsankov boulevards. The remaining 63 million leva is going for the development of the metro's second line.

Sofia's plans for the development of the Metropolitan lines provides for three lines, with a total length estimated at 52km.

The network will have 47 stations and after the final stage of its construction the Metropolitan will have the capacity to carry more than 1 million passengers per day. The first line from the Obelya residential district through Lyulin district to down and from there to Mladost district will have a total length of 19 km and 17 stations.

The second line will link the Lozenets district with downtown and from there to the Ilientsi district, with a total length of 18 km and 15 stations.

The third line will link the Knyazhevo district with downtown and from there to the Poduene and Vasil Levski residential districts, with a total length of 15.8 km and 15 stations. The lines will be inter-linked within a downtown triangle, marked by the St. Nedelya Square, the Kliment Ohridski University and the National Palace of Culture.

Sofia's budget also allocates funds for drafting a Sofia's traffic management plan. Additionally, 5.3 million leva were earmarked for the construction and renovation of sidewalks and bicycle lanes in the districts of Lyulin and Mladost.

Green Sofia programme received one million leva, a new street lightening system will be financed with 1.8 million leva and 1.2 million leva would be used for the development of Severniya Park (North Park) and Zapadniya Park (West Park).

To kick off the implementation of the development programme targeting Sofia's northern districts, the city hall allocated 500 000 leva. It includes infrastructural improvements, public works and historical monuments repairs. Public-private partnerships will be set up for the programme's implementation.

Sofia's city hall residential construction programme received 127 million leva, Stroitelstvo Gradut weekly reported.propertywisebulgaria.com