Karousos, on July 01, accompanied by the senior director general of the ministry, Yiannis Nicolaidis, the mayors of Paphos and Polis Chrysochous, etc. Phaedona Phaedona and Gioti Papachristofi, senior director Eleni Kaskiri, and officials of the Department of Public Works, inspected the start of construction work on the upcoming Paphos-Polis Chrysochous road highway.
“This is a historic day for the Paphos District,” said Karousos, “since a proclamation by the President of the Republic, which was set as a priority, the long-awaited project (…) enters into course of implementation with multiple benefits for the district of Polis Chrysochous, the District of Paphos and for the whole of Cyprus."
Karousos added that the execution of the project falls under the strategic objectives of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works, as part of the main road network of Cyprus, with the aim of revitalising and the sustainable development of the Paphos District. As an island state, Cyprus relies entirely on road transport for internal movements, which often causes difficulties in the accessibility of basic services, but also in the transport of people and goods.
The minister of transport made special reference to the benefits that the project is expected to have for the residents of the Polis Chrysochous area. The aim, according to Karousos, is to mainly facilitate the accessibility of the inhabitants of this remote area, and to also upgrade the infrastructure in the road network while, by extension, to also solve the road safety problems.
Among other things, the minister said that it is expected that the new road will contribute to the economic and touristic development of the Polis Chrysochous area, since it will facilitate the attraction of investments, the implementation of new and innovative business ideas, with benefits for the creation jobs, and attracting visitors and tourists from Cyprus and abroad.
The existence of safe road connectivity and the development of economic activity in the area will limit the phenomenon of internal and external migration of the economically active population, upgrading the quality of life of the residents of the area.
The project concerns the study and construction (design & build) of a two-lane road initially from Agia Marinouda to Stroumbi, with a length of 15.5 km and a cost of EUR86,845,010.00 (incl. VAT). In the future, the road will be upgraded to a four-lane highway. The route starts from the Limassol-Paphos highway past Agia Marinouda and ends on the existing road after Stroumbi.
The first phase includes the construction of an uneven junction to connect with the Limassol - Paphos highway, a roundabout in Tsada and one at the termination point after Stroumbi.
The construction of two 720 m long drilling tunnels is also envisaged, and five valley bridges with a total length of 1,500 m, two overpasses’ and nine underpasses. Finally, due to the elevation of the road, additional traffic lanes will be constructed over a long length (about 12 km).
In total, the highway will be 31 km long and will be completed in two phases. For the second phase, there is a preliminary study and the relevant departments are gradually proceeding with the remaining phases of the process.
