Solomou Square disruption will last another eight months

NICOSIA Municipality said yesterday there was “no other way” around the disruptions to pedestrians and traffic in the area of Solomou Square, which is in the middle of being

modernised and streamlined.

According to the Municipality’s architect Marina Tymviou, commenting on the traffic in and around the area, the project simply must be done. ‘There is no other way,” she said.

However she did give reassurances that at no point would access through the square itself be cut off for pedestrians at least.

Recently the road going through the square, giving access to the old town, has been narrowed even more as the works move further into the square.

“As we work on the east side we’ll open some road in the west then close the east, but there will always be a way through,” said Tymviou.

The project is set to take a year, finishing in September 201. It is divided into two phases. Phase one was in the area opposite the Holiday Inn Hotel and is now complete, with phase two consisting of the renovation of the west side and then the east side of the square. On a positive note the project is currently “going according to plan time wise” Tymviou said.

The Solomou Square renovations are part of a comprehensive programme of 17 projects concerning urban infrastructure in the capital, with a total of €155 million being injected into it. Some €40 million of the project is being funded by a loan from the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) with an additional 29 per cent being already funded by the European Investment Bank (EIB).

The rest is covered by municipality funds, government grants and also from structural and EU cohesion funds. Mayor Eleni Mavrou recently said that the projects aim to enhance the natural and urban environment.

Apart from Solomou Square, Eleftheria Square is also up for a revamp, as well as the construction of the new municipality within the walls, redesign of Markos Drakou Avenue, reinforcing derelict buildings between the walls and maintenance of Paphos Gate among other things.

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