The administration of the mayor of Sofia Vasil Terziev asks the Sofia Municipal Council to approve a draft amendment to the detailed urban plan (DUP), which unlocks the completion of the “Todor Kableshkov“ Blvd. and is a key section of the Third City Ring of Sofia.
“If the Municipal Council makes a decision and supports our proposal, this will be a strategic breakthrough in the development of Sofia's transport infrastructure, with a direct impact on traffic relief, connectivity of the southern neighborhoods and the implementation of the Third City Ring”, said the chief architect of Sofia, arch. Bogdana Panayotova.
Over 95% of the boulevard's route has already been built - between Blvd. „Cherni Vrah“ and St. „Louis Ayer“. The lack of final approval of the regulation blocks the completion of the construction and its commissioning.
„I count on the municipal councilors to support the declared commitment to the development of the city with actions. The PUP proposed by us can guarantee the completion of the boulevard within 7-8 months. Otherwise, Sofia residents should know that in the coming years the unfinished boulevard will remain a problem for which those who have refused to work in the interests of Sofia residents will bear responsibility“, emphasized the arch. Panayotova.
The Municipal Council must decide whether to approve an amendment to the Urban Development Plan, which includes updating the street regulation, consistent with the actually constructed route and dimensions of the boulevard and the separation of a new regulated land property “for landscaping”, in order to ensure access and functional connection with the street network, as well as an order for preliminary implementation under Art. 60 of the Administrative Procedure Code (APC), in view of the significant public interest and the need to prevent delays in the implementation of the project.
“The order for preliminary implementation means that the Sofia Municipality will be able to implement the development plan immediately, including expropriation, access, construction and commissioning, even if it is appealed. This accelerates the implementation of the project and protects the public from harm caused by judicial or administrative delays,” pointed out the arch. Panayotova added that the risks of the delay are great, including the loss of invested public resources, legal and technical impossibility for Sofia residents to use the completed infrastructure, difficulties for those living nearby and working in the area.
The proposal of the Sofia Mayor's Administration is also based on the implementation of the effective judicial acts of the Supreme Administrative Court, which oblige the Sofia Municipality to amend the regulation, in accordance with the General Development Plan and the Sofia Municipality Development and Construction Act (ZUZSO).
The completion of the construction of the boulevard by the Sofia Municipality will provide an infrastructure connection with “Filip Kutev“ Blvd. as part of the overall transport corridor of the Third City Ring and will improve safety, mobility and accessibility in the southern regions of the city – including private properties, public buildings and pedestrian zones.
The third city ring is of paramount importance for transport connectivity and movement in Sofia. The implementation of “Todor Kableshkov” Blvd. is also in direct situational and technological connection with the currently constructed “Filip Kutev“ Blvd., which is a continuation of “Todor Kableshkov“ Blvd., in the section from “Cherni Vrah“ Blvd. to “Simeonovsko Shose“ Blvd.
The construction is blocked due to private property that was not expropriated at the start of the construction of the boulevard under the previous administration. The procedure for its purchase has been in place since 2021, when the then mayor announced forced expropriation. The owner of the property did not agree to the proposed amount and the expropriation was not carried out.
The reason for the blocking of construction and commissioning is an unresolved procedure for the expropriation of private property affected by the route. The forced expropriation was announced back in 2021 by the previous municipal administration, but was not finalized due to the owner's disagreement with the compensation amount. Without this final decision of the Municipal Council, the Metropolitan Municipality cannot complete the construction, even though the route is almost completely built.
