A GROUP of Nicosia shopkeepers say they are on the brink of closing due to road works on Metochiou Avenue in Ayios Andreas.
They said they have been told the works will take until next October to complete.
According to the engineer in charge of the project, public works official, Niki Kypragora, the aim of the project is to improve the road by installing a drainage system for rain, which it was lacking, and also to take telephone and electricity cables underground. Until the work is finished, Metochiou Avenue will continue to consist of only two lanes.
This week the site was a mess, starting from the side of the Health Ministry at the Yorkion building all the way up Metochiou Avenue, in the direction of the American Embassy.
At first glance, walking to any of the nearby shops looked impossible, and as for parking, there was not enough space. Currently the road works are taking place on one side of the road.
Kypragora stated that the project is set to take one year to complete. It began in October 2010 and will be finished by October 2011. “So far everything is going well and we’re on time,” said Kypragora.
Her optimism was not shared by the shop owners however. They said business has dropped 50 per cent since work began on the opposite side. They dread to think what will happen when the work begins on their side of the road. .
Liza Mavrommatis, owner of local eatery Edesmatopolion said: “We might have to start laying people off once the road works start on our side.”
The shop owners also complained that they received only three-day notice that the work would be starting.
“We understand that the area must be upgraded,” said Savvas Makrigeorgis, owner of the kiosk Sansosto which is on the side of the road where the works are currently underway.
“We’ve had at least an 80 per cent loss in profits since the works started and I’ve got children studying at university,” he said.
Kypragora said project are never started until residents are notified. In this case, they had been given a week’s notice, she said.
However, the time span that they allow to tell local residents and shops can vary for various projects. “We have an announcement and we also put it in the government gazette,” she said.
In order to gain access to the shops on the side of the street where the road works are taking place, there are two footpaths. One of them is in front of the row of shops and is constructed from sand and stones.
The second, also made of sand and stones, runs from the Yorkion building car park behind the works and onto what is left of the pavement in front of the shops.
This is a problem for the shops as there is nowhere for suppliers to stop. Makrigeorgis explained how they usually receive their delivery for milk by 8am but these days it is 11am before they get it. “The suppliers are complaining to us that there’s no where to park or get in from,” said Makrigeorgis. “We want to see if we can get compensation,” he added.
Despite the hassle, Kypragora highlighted the positive aspects of the project once it is completed such as a new bus stop, as well as stops on both sides of the road for cars.
