Nicosia-Solia Highway: New Delays Loom?

Village protests threaten the construction of the Nicosia-Solia highway, a project of urgent priority for decades. Three villages –Akaki, Peristerona, Astromeritis– are protesting the current route, demanding a change to the route north of the villages.

The Minister of Transport, Alexis Vafeadis, met with representatives of the communities, seeking consensus. However, any change in the design could delay the project for another ten years.

The tender for the Deneia – Astromeritis section (18 kilometers) is expected in the first quarter of 2026. The completion of the Astromeritis – Evrychou section (11 kilometers), which should have been completed in 2011, is underway.

Mr. Vafeadis stated that "without the Deneia – Astromeritis highway, mountainous Nicosia is doomed to desertification."