THE CONSTRUCTION of a pedestrian road and cycle lane along the Pedieos river will begin at the end of the summer, the Nicosia Municipality announced yesterday.

The project aims to continue the pedestrian road of Lakatamia and Strovolos, creating a link between the Municipalities. The route will start from the bridge close to the Presidential Palace stretching 2.6km within the confines of the Nicosia Municipality. It will pass through the Presidential Palace Park and the Red Cross road, through the old part of Ayioi Omologites and will go under the bridge at Grivas Dighenis Avenue, to end at the Ministry of Health, where the Prodromos and Metochi Avenues meet.

The Mayor of Nicosia, Eleni Mavrou, in a press conference yesterday emphasised how the Pedieos river along with the Athalassa National Park are the two major green hubs of Nicosia. “The river bed is a priceless treasure of our city,” Mavrou said. “The area of the river will be transformed into a welcome area for Nicosia’s residents, where children and adults can use the promenade for walks, entertainment, and sports,” she added.

The Mayor emphasised how retaining the natural environment and keeping the ecosystem of the river intact were the main priorities of the project’s planners.

“It is an environmental promenade and cycle lane that we have designed. It aims to highlight the natural environment, and we have planned it in such a way so that not one single tree will have to be cut for the needs of construction,” said Christodoulos Ktorides, Director of the Department of Town Planning and Housing.

The project’s designs include the construction of a promenade for pedestrians and cyclists, the creation of wooden bridges that will connect the two sides of the river, the formation of play spaces for children and resting stops and the equipping of the promenade with special lighting. The plans also accommodate for the easy access of pedestrians from the street to the river and vice versa.

“With the completion of this project, Nicosia residents will have a new and important space for recreation and entertainment, and the promenade will also be a new, alternative route for circulating around the city,” Mavrou said.

The project is estimated to cost around €2m euro and will be a joint construction venture of P. A. Cyteco Ltd and NEMESIS Contractors. It will be completed at the end of next summer.