Dozens of closed streets, the difficulties for the traffic along a number of key boulevards, the piles of dust, constant noise and all this combined with a 30 degree heat. That would be Sofia this summer. Local government has planned a number of repairs to the city’s infrastructure, and unlike other cases, it’s not just empty words and promises. Procurement is underway, and the renovation of the street network will swallow nearly 30 million levs.
In practice, 2013 is the first of the four-year programme of the Metropolitan Municipality for the construction, expansion and rehabilitation of streets and avenues, which has envisaged to allocate on the isse about 200 million lev. Half of the money will have to come through a loan from the European Investment Bank.
Undoubtedly the highlight of this year’s show will be the building of the overhauls of Tsarigradsko Shosse and Slivnitsa, the conflict-free intersection between Bulgaria and Geshov Boulevards. Intentions are implementing the latter to begin in the second half of this year and be completed in 230 days. It amounts to 22.4 million lev without VAT (provided by another loan from the EIB) and the construction has been entrusted to Balkanstroy.
The reconstruction of two biggest urban highways, Tsarigradsko Shosse and Slivnitsa, will select a winner on 7 May and the opening of the technical proposals of the participants in the procedure is scheduled for the next day. The assignment imeans a reconstruction of 2.5 km of the Tsarigradsko road – the area between GMDimitrov Blvd and Alexander Malinov. Implementation will take 24 months and will cost 16.9 million levs without VAT. Will be made overhaul of the roadway and sidewalks.
Along Slivnitza 2.2 km will be upgraded – from the Boulevard Konstantin Velichkov to boulevard Peter Dertliev. The result will swallow 8.33 million lev without VAT, and the deadline for implementation is over two years.
The reconstruction of another key boulevard, Botevgradsko Shosse, is estimated to take 10.5 million levs. The problem with this auction, however, are the deadlines for the preparation of project proposals. According to the original schedule was required companies to submit bids by 29 April, but due to the technical complexity of the undertaking, the deputy mayor for transport Lyubomir Hristov decided days ago to give them time up unitl May 9. Otherwise, the contract covers the ten kilometer stretch of the street Letostruy to the ring road. The selected company will upgrade roads, drainage system, sidewalks and curbs. Among its commitments will be the renovation of 10 other facilities – four overpass, a bridge over the river Iskar and five pedestrian underpass. The whole site is divided into three stages, each of which can be repaired and put into operation alone.
The BANKER
