The transport ministry aims to support solutions to address traffic challenges in the Ayios Athanasios industrial area in Limassol, and remains committed to backing the provision of relevant government funding, Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades said on Tuesday.

“The Municipality of Kouri is moving forward with the Ypsonas section, and projects in other areas are also progressing,” he said, speaking at a visit to the Ayios Athanasios Industrialists’ Association.

Vafeades added the route of the northern bypass, starting with the Evagoras Lanitis section had already been mapped out and was expected to be tendered by end of 2026, with the other areas expected to follow in the near future.

Reiterating the government’s commitment to the implementation of the project, he said that required funding would either be made available through the ministry of energy, commerce and industry or the finance ministry.

In response to the association’s over potential traffic disruptions due to the proposed development of a mall in the area, Vafeades said that relevant conditions set out by the public works department indicated that congestion would remain at present levels, however, acknowledging that the existing conditions were unsatisfactory.

President of the Limassol Industrialists’ Association Vassos Dimitriadis expressed his satisfaction over the existing cooperation with the government.

“With the intervention of the president and the minister, we are one step closer to implementing the second emergency entrance/exit for which there was awareness, as this is a safety issue,” he said.

He stressed that creating an entrance to the industrial area would significantly improve traffic conditions and expressed his hope that the public works department’s estimations would be confirmed.

Former Energy Minister George Papanastasiou, who has since been replaced by former Health Minister Michael Damianos, had in late October assured that the ministry was working to address the challenges faced by the industrial area.

He said that the ministry aimed to ensure the steady development of the area, which was established in 1978 and remains an important industrial hub with around 140 businesses operating there.

Since the establishing of the area, more than €4 million were invested in its maintenance with a total of €315,000 allocated for asphalting works on several roads in 2025 alone.