The highway that will connect Paphos with Polis is in the works, Phileleftheros reported on Monday.
The two-lane highway will start from the existing Limassol-Paphos (A6) highway in Agia Marinouda and will pass through the villages of Marathounta, Armou, Tsada, Kallepia, Koili and Stroumpi.
It will have two tunnels and five viaducts.
The speed limit will be 100km/h.
Construction for the highway (initially meant to be a four-lane highway) was planned to start around five years ago but the financial crisis brought the process to a halt.
In fact, the government completed all related land expropriations since 2006 and started receiving construction offers in 2007.
However, in 2012 the it recalled all land-expropriations, for which it hadn’t already compensated the owners.
The aim is for construction to start as soon as possible and for the whole project to be completed by 2021.
Construction will cost up to €60 million and further expropriations will cost €34 million.
Also, the state has already paid €58,5 million for properties that remain expropriated.
How will the highway affect wildlife?
Studies on the environmental impact of the highway have already been completed.
Two Natura 2000 and other government-protected sites are near the areas it will pass through, the studies found.
Also, 162 plant species (12 of them endemic to Cyprus), hares, foxes, rats, mice, hedgehogs, 15 lizards (one of them classified as “endangered” by IUCN), three amphibian 175 bird and 11 bat species (one “near endangered”), as well as a species of eel which is classified as “critically endangered,” currently live either near or inside the areas that will be used for the highway.
