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According to Kathimerini's Dorita Yiannakou, Cyprus marked a milestone in its transportation network Tuesday with the inauguration of the Nicosia peripheral motorway’s first phase, a project intended to ease congestion, enhance safety, and facilitate trade across the island. The €55 million project, co-financed with €43.8 million from the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility, is a key component of European transportation corridors linking Cyprus and Greece with Central and Northern Europe.
Minister of Transport, Communications, and Works Alexis Vafeadis, alongside Greek Minister Christos Staikouras and EU representatives, attended the ceremony, highlighting the project’s strategic significance. Phase A includes a 7.5-km, four-lane motorway and 10 km of local connecting roads, along with major interchanges to link the Nicosia-Limassol motorway. Officials project that upon full completion, the motorway will act as a ring road, easing pressure on Nicosia’s main entry points.
Early traffic counts show promising results, with about 17,000 vehicles using the new route daily and peak traffic reductions of 12% on the Nicosia-Limassol motorway. The data reflects a 40% drop in morning congestion along the E120 road, a critical feeder to Nicosia, suggesting immediate improvements in traffic flow and air quality.
Minister Vafeadis emphasized the motorway’s importance within the Trans-European Transport Network, positioning Cyprus as a crucial terminal point for the Western Balkans, Eastern Mediterranean, and Baltic Sea corridors. This alignment supports Cyprus’s geopolitical value as Europe seeks alternative transport routes amid shifting global dynamics.
Greek Minister Staikouras and Deputy Director-General of DG MOVE, Herald Ruijters, highlighted the project’s environmental sensitivity and its role in Cyprus’s balanced regional development. They expressed hope that the motorway will not only reduce travel time and improve safety but also attract economic opportunities and support sustainable growth.
Ruijters reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to similar projects that bolster connectivity, promote regional cohesion, and drive economic development across Cyprus, while Staikouras called for fair distribution of EU funding to address regional disparities within the bloc.
