Limassol, Cyprus. The government said on Monday that a number of projects aimed at easing traffic congestion in Limassol will be set in motion after a meeting between Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades and the mayors of the Limassol district.
Priority projects
Vafeades said the meeting was intended to gather feedback from the municipalities and rank the proposed traffic-related projects by priority. He said the discussion covered short-term, medium-term and long-term measures to address traffic jams that have affected Limassol for years.
“In a city where every year some 10,000 cars get registered, the road network needs constant upgrading,” Vafeades told reporters.
“That is why this meeting aimed to achieve coordination, in terms of which projects should be implemented first, as well as to discuss financing and to coordinate the subsequent implementation, so that we can make sure the projects finish on time.”
Bypass plans
Vafeades said he hoped authorities would invite bids by the end of the year for three sections of the Limassol northern bypass.
The bypass is a proposed urban highway running parallel to the existing coastal motorway and is intended to ease chronic congestion in the city. It has an estimated budget of up to €200 million and is designed to connect the Amathus/Germasogeia area in the east with the Kourion/Ypsonas municipalities in the west.
The project has been discussed intermittently for the past two decades.
Next steps
The minister asked for a definitive list of projects, ordered by priority, to be submitted to him within two weeks.