The entire tram rail section between the Ruski pametnik (Russian Monument) square and the end of the line on Tsar Boris III Blvd in Knyazhevo neigborhood will be covered by grass, Chief Architect Petar Dikov has said.

In an interview with private national TV7 station, he has pointed out that the entire boulevard will undergo repair works, with the project already being developed and with reconstruction scheduled to begin at the end of 2016.

Dikov made his comments after the first grass-covered tram tracks were officially unveiled on the Ruski pametnik square on Monday.

The project, which aims at increasing Sofia's appeal and reducing the noise about which many residents had been complaining - the entire square was previously covered with cobblestone pavement.

Reconstruction works on the square have sparked much controversy over the past few days, with a number of activist and bloggers complaining about the removal of cobble stones or downplaying the new grass as a pre-election stunt (Sofia, like other Bulgarian cities and towns, is bracing for local elections scheduled for October 25).