In a difficult financial year at the mercy of the pandemic, with the implementation of important infrastructure projects, the Government proves in practice that it does not deviate from the planning and announcements of the President of the Republic (PtD), said the Minister of the Interior, Mr. Nikos Nouris. The Minister of Transport, Communications and Works, Mr. Yiannis Karousos, said that "the road network is the backbone of the economic and commercial activities of our country, and that is why it will never stop being upgraded, so that it adequately meets the needs of the citizens."
Watch the before and after video:
The Ministers of Interior and Transport, Communications and Works celebrated the inauguration of April 1 Avenue in Paralimni today at noon. The Urban Road Project "Improvement of Stadiou Street and part of Avenue 1th April in Paralimni" began its work on January 16, 2019 and was completed in September 2020.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Minister of the Interior said that "the orderly functioning of a city requires, among other things, a properly prioritized road network, which can effectively and efficiently cover the traffic needs of the urban population in a way that is economically, environmentally and socially viability". "Based on these positions and principles, the project that we are inaugurating today was implemented", said Mr. Nouris.
He noted that "we immediately responded to the request of the Municipality of Paralimni for the improvement of these roads due to their great traffic importance, the continuous increase in their commercial activity and the road safety problems they presented. The project was included as an urban planning project in the planning of the Ministry of the Interior".
Referring to the project, he said that it has a total length of more than one kilometer. He added that the cost amounted to around €2 million, which was covered by 80% by the Department of Urban Planning and Housing and by 20% by the Municipality of Paralimni. The Department of Public Works was responsible for the studies, bidding and supervision of the construction, he added.
"Such development projects are a primary goal of the Government, which proves its practical support for the Local Self-Government", underlined Mr. Nouris.
"In a difficult financial year at the mercy of the pandemic, with the implementation of similar important infrastructure projects, the government proves in practice that it does not deviate from the planning and announcements of the President of the Republic," he said. He expressed the belief that "through investments in infrastructure projects we will return the economy to the desired growth rates".
Concluding, the Minister of the Interior said that "with projects of such and such an extent, such as those announced today by the PtD itself, we are sure that the Government's message to the Local Authorities and the citizens is both clear and resounding: We are practically by your side" .
The Minister of Transport, Communications and Works, in his own speech, said that the inauguration of another Project announced by the PtD is taking place. An important project, as he described it, both for the Municipality of Paralimni and for the entire free province of Famagusta.
"Avenue 1th April and Stadiou Street, are a provision of the Paralimni Policy Statement as part of the network of main secondary roads. These streets receive a large volume of traffic, as Avenue 1th of April is an extension of the Dekelia - Protaras highway through which vehicle traffic is channeled to the central area of the Municipality of Paralimni, to the Municipality of Deryneia, etc., while Stadiou Street is the connection to the "Tasos Markou" sports facilities, said the Minister of Transport.
Referring to the project, Mr. Karousos said that "the Avenue has two traffic lanes, paved sidewalks, a bicycle path, islands of greenery and tree basins, temporary parking lots, pedestrian crossings and bus stops."
He also noted that "the Project significantly improves the Sustainable Urban Mobility of the wider area of Famagusta as it connects the area of Protaras and Ayia Napa with Deryneia and Sotira with a bicycle path".
He informed that as part of the Project, two roundabouts were built and light-controlled pedestrian crossings were installed, which aim to upgrade the level of road safety for all users.
"Improving the road network is high on the Government's priorities. The road network is the backbone of the economic and commercial activities of our country and that is why it will never stop being upgraded in order to adequately meet the needs of the citizens", emphasized the Minister of Transport.
This is the speech of the Mayor of Paralimni Theodoros Pyrillis
Today we are inaugurating an important project, the implementation of which has resolved the greatest traffic problems of the Famagusta District and the Municipality of Paralimni. Its benefits are systemic in relation to the entire road network of primary importance in our province and these have already become apparent with its six-month operation. In previous years, we had 50 accidents per year in this section with loss of human life and serious injuries. In the last six months since the project went live, we haven't had a single accident.
The final design of the project combined the existence of a dividing island, an intermediate roundabout and an abundance of temporary parking spaces, elements which provided complete safety for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists and at the same time ensured and strengthened both commerciality and entrepreneurship in the area in question. This design can now act as a standard for the entire national road network.
Everyone's cooperation was impeccable. Public Works, Urban Planning, Traffic Studies and Technical Services Agency of the Municipality of Paralimni. They solved all the problems and we are all proud of the result.
I want to thank the Director of the Public Works Department Mr. Sokratis Zapitis, the Deputy Mr. Antonis Koutsoulis, Evi Anagiotou, Aristeia Aspridou, the District Engineer Mr. Dino Kotziapasii and his entire team, who oversaw the implementation of the project, the contractor of the project, Adelphi Katsiou company and the technical services of the Municipality of Paralimni.
I also want to thank the political leaders of the Ministries of Interior and Transport, friend Mr. Nikos Nouris and brother Mr. Yannis Karousos, as well as their predecessors, Mr. Konstantinos Petridis and Mrs. Vasiliki Anastasiadis, who with their decisive political interventions contributed the most to the completion of this project.
In recent years united, all of us Mayors and Community Leaders have claimed and succeeded in the implementation of major development projects. We thank the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Nikos Anastasiadis, who recognized provincial status in the free part of our Province and gave us what we are entitled to.
The local authorities of the free province of Famagusta cooperated and prepared an integrated spatial development strategy for the entire province that includes projects over 400 million as beneficiaries now to participate in the disbursement of European funds. This plan was prepared with the initiative of the Municipality of Paralimni and the cooperation of all local authorities. For the implementation of this strategy, the planning and maturation of the projects by ourselves is required. If in the context of the Local Government reform we do not all unite in one entity, I predict that beyond Paralimni and Ayia Napa the rest of the local authorities will not be able to achieve their goal.
All together we can become an entity and join under the roof of the Municipality of Famagusta in order to create a Municipality that can be worthy of the contribution of our Province to the GDP of our country.
We have ceased to be the "last wheel of the train". We get what we are entitled to and what has been denied us for the last forty years. We sincerely thank the President of the Republic and hope that the efforts made to solve our national problem will be crowned with success so that we can regain our Metropolis, the Reigning Famagusta.
Famagusta.News