A KEY road artery in Nicosia, Athalassa Avenue, will open again to traffic from 6am tomorrow, in time for residents of the capital to make their way en masse to the beach, said Communications Minister Nicos Nicolaides yesterday.
The main thoroughfare has been closed to traffic for a week to allow sewage pipes to be placed underground as part of a long-term project to install a central sewage system in the capital.
Speaking after a visit to the worksite, Nicolaides confirmed that the street would open in time for the morning rush to the beach tomorrow. The minister expressed satisfaction with the speed with which the job was done, noting that the contractor and relevant authorities worked on a 24-hour basis to get the job done on schedule.
“This is a good example of how cooperation between the services and good planning can succeed. Future projects on roads in Nicosia and elsewhere should proceed on this basis,” he said.
Nicolaides expressed hope that planned sewage works on the key Nicosia thoroughfares of Makarios and Limassol Avenues be executed with the same speed and timeframe.
“The philosophy is to complete projects fast, with extended hours, to cause minimal disturbance and impact on local residents and the public,” he said.
According to Alecos Michaelides, director of the Public Works Department, work on Limassol Avenue was expected to start in the second half of September. Any disturbances on either Makarios or Limassol Avenues is expected to create a substantial amount of traffic chaos, given that it will be executed after the quiet holiday month of August, when the capital resembles a ghost town.
Michaelides said work on Limassol Avenue would be much harder than on Athalassa, and take some time as it would mostly involve night work.
Works on parts of Ayios Pavlou Avenue in Nicosia will also begin this Wednesday for three months, during which part of the road will be closed to traffic. Cars will instead be diverted to go through Rizokarpasos, Eleftherios Venizelos and Anexartisias roads.
Asked to comment on the government’s plans to put certain public works projects on hold as a result of the financial crisis, Nicolaides reiterated that nothing was being scrapped or frozen.
He confirmed that the contract for the Nicosia Oncology unit had been signed while there was no plan to spike the Limassol Oncology unit either. The minister noted that work on the new museum would likely start on October 5 with the demolition of the old Nicosia general hospital, after which the government will issue an invite for tenders for the building’s design.
“It was also said that we would be homeless during the EU Presidency. Not true. The main buildings for the EU Presidency will be the Conference Centre along with the Philoxenia… The aim is to have them ready by December 2011, six months before taking over the EU Presidency.”
Nicolaides highlighted that the government’s biggest challenge was how to face the crisis. He stressed the need for a responsible approach to development projects, based on the developmental and social benefits each one offers.
No project will be cancelled or frozen, but the government will progress with each based on the economic conditions at the time. No final decisions will be taken until early September when the state budget is due to be tabled before parliament.
“Expenditure will have to meet revenue, or else it will be a very irresponsible policy,” said the minister.
