2024-08-24 23:53:31
The loss of any tree, even a large tree, is a problem. The most important characteristics of our city are that it is green, that there are many parks, there are large trees, but in the case of Opalchenska Street, there is no way to preserve these trees. This was said by the Mayor of Sofia, Vasil Terziev, at a briefing in response to a question regarding the citizens’ protests against the cutting down of trees on Opalchenska Street.
Terziev said that the municipal administration considered all options, including moving the trees, but that would cost the municipality a lot of money, and experts say the trees have no chance of surviving the move. According to experts, the trees can be moved in November, but even then the chance of their survival is about 5%, which seemed unreasonable to us, added the mayor. In his words, efforts to afforest and green other places with the resource saved by moving these trees can give much greater results.
“I’m sorry for these trees, but one of the most important things of this project is the replacement of the sewer system,” explained the mayor. It goes right under the root system of the trees, there is no way around them, he added. We can’t just look at the 39 trees that we all think are important, but we also have to look at the tens of thousands of citizens who suffer from unreplaced infrastructure. We have to avoid problems with water supply, to avoid problems with sewage, to avoid problems with floods, Terziev added.
To a question related to yesterday’s protest in front of the Capital Municipality against construction that closes a path connecting “Knyazevo” to Byala Voda and the Golden Bridges in Vitosha Mountain, Terziev specified that he met with representatives of the community from “Knyazevo”. We talked about the problems and possible solutions, added the mayor. Which in what time period can happen not only for the sun path. The challenge will be to find long-term solutions to many pressing issues in this area, but we have good communication and I think we will find satisfactory solutions in the near future, added the mayor.
Terziev was asked to comment on a project to ease traffic in Sofia, which GERB leader Boyko Borisov commented on a few days ago. The mayor of Sofia said that he was very happy about Borisov’s sketches and pointed out that the Sofia Municipality is organizing a competition for a chief architect. In Terziev’s words, “we can imagine all kinds of things, but there is an objective reality as well as a political electoral reality”.
The mayor pointed out that if everyone does their job and it is not sabotaged, neither at the local level nor at the state level, at the end of 2027, the beginning of 2028, the section that is between the Lyulin and Ovcha Kupel neighborhoods will be ready. According to the capital’s mayor, this is the most difficult section of the Ring Road – “for 18 months, procedures and alienation cannot be passed, let alone the project be realized in its entirety”, he said.
The ribbons for this project will be cut by the one who won the elections in 2027, Terziev pointed out. It is key to think about how connections will be made with the ring road, with Tsaritsa Joanna Blvd., the construction of buffer parking lots, so that the whole system can work efficiently, the mayor added. The construction of this tunnel is not a new idea, Terziev pointed out and added that it dates back to the time when Petar Dikov was the chief architect of Sofia, writes BTA.