In 2010 traffic on Tsarigradsko Chaussee Boulevard will be temporarily re-routed because of the construction of metro station 19, a press release from Sofia municipality announced on July 1. The same day, mayor Boiko Borissov turned the first sod, commencing the construction of the metro station.

The boulevard will be shifted on top of the green belts in front of the Interexpo Centre, while the metro station is under construction, along with parking lot facilities underneath. According to plans, the boulevard will be shifted temporarily until building works are complete. The detour will not affect traffic because the lanes will remain the same, the report says. It fails to explain, however, what will happen to the green belt areas once the boulevard is restored to its original place.

The parking lot will boast capacity for 1500 vehicles. One proposed concept is that the ticket for the parking lot will also be a valid metro ticket.

The metro section, spanning from Mladost 1 until Tsarigradsko Chaussee, must be completed in 39 months, in a project worth 94 million euro, part of which has been funded by the European Investment Bank.

"I am certain that my mandate as mayor will be remembered for its construction works," said Borissov, quoted by the Bulgarian news agency, the BTA.

"In the past years, 14km of metro lines have been inaugurated, and on September 15 the Obelya – Mladost 1 segment will be linked as well," he said.