Proposed construction on five two-level junctions in Sofia this year is likely to be postponed after the plans proved impracticable, Dnevnik daily reported.

If all five projects had been given the go-ahead, traffic in Sofia would have been gridlocked, according to deputy transport mayor Lyubomir Hristov. He did say, however, that perhaps one, or possibly two of the projects, may be allowed to proceed as planned.

One such junction is planned for the junction of Andrei Lyapchev Boulevard and Andrei Saharov Boulevard in the Sofia borough of Mladost. Reportedly, Sofia municipality has not given up on the projects, but they appear to have been deferred indefinitely.

The delay in construction will mean negotiations with the European Investment Bank (EIB), which released a loan for the projects in question. The loan covers half the total cost – estimated at 44 million euro – and must be spent by 2012.

"We will negotiate with the bank for a portion of the credit to be redirected towards other projects," Hristov said.

Sofia Chief Mayor Petar Dikov had proposed to the EIB that of the five initial interchanges, only two should remain – one in Mladost and the other near the television tower. The remaining resources ought to be reassigned to "similar" projects in the Zaharna Fabrika borough and the bridge of Bakurena Fabrika, Dnevnik said.

The complication arises from the fact that signed contracts already exist for all five projects. According to the municipal administration, however, the contracts "come into effect only when full financing is assured. Furthermore, even in the case when the aforementioned contracts are annulled, construction companies do not have the right to sue," Dnevnik said.