Slivnitsa Boulevard in central Sofia will undergo some serious alterations, entering a tunnel under Maria Luiza Boulevard at the intersection with Luvov Most (Lion's Bridge), Bulgarian-language media reported on January 14.

"The procedures are in motion - regulations, planning - all of them with the approval of the Institute for Monuments and Culture, as they are very demanding and meticulous" the head of the Sofia metro company Metropoliten Stoyan Bratoev has said, as quoted by website stroitelstvo.bg.

The construction works are scheduled to commence in the autumn of 2009. The metro system underneath Lion's Bridge will be 18m underground, with the tunnel passing directly above it. "The plans for a double-tier underground pass at this location are old, and if they aren't executed now, they won't be executed ever," Bratoev said.

The tunnel and underground rail will pass under the Vladaiska river, but that is not believed to represent a significant problem construction-wise.

The iconic lions from Luvov Most will be disassembled for the duration of construction on the tunnel, as well as the metro section between Nadezhda borough and Cherni Vruh Boulevard passing underneath. Upon completion, the lions will be reinstalled, and the bridge will be restored to its present form.