The two local representatives of the divided city of Nicosia toured the Pedieos River on Thursday to see works underway to complete a 15km Linear Park that will unite the capital, at least for strollers and cyclists.
Nicosia Mayor Charalambos Prountzos and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart Mehmet Harmancı visited the area where the existing 11km Linear Park to the south will be extended across the buffer zone to include a further 4km north of the city, tracing the Pedieos River.
Harmancı called it a historic day. “Our predecessors joined the city from below. Now we are going to merge the city with the river.”
Prountzos said for a long time, people had this vision to bring Nicosia together through the river that has been the historic link between the mountains and the sea.
Turuğsan Arslankelle is the project’s architect
The two thanked the European Union for funding the project and UNDP, responsible for overseeing implementation.
A continuous 15km stretch of green for the city
The first phase – a 1.2 km section connecting the Ledra Palace crossing to the Pedieos River, upgraded for safe cycling and pedestrian use – is already underway, and should be complete by the end of March at a cost of around €460,000.
A tender process for the second phase will be launched this month with a contract expected to be signed by May. This section involves 2,850 metres of pathway, both for cyclists and pedestrians, including elevated paths and bridges, plus three new recreational areas within the river boundaries. Given the need to protect the flora and fauna (turtles, frogs) that have made the river their home, development work will have to respect the breeding seasons. As such, the second phase is expected to take a year and a half for completion.
By January 2028, residents of the capital should have the chance to stroll, run, cycle or adopt any other speed of movement they wish across the city, tracing 15km of the Pedieos River on a continuous route.
According to the UNDP, the project “aims to restore natural habitats, create shared public spaces, and strengthen community ties in Nicosia.”
It will preserve and enhance the river's ecosystem while also providing flood protection and erosion control. Project organisers expect at least 250,000 visitors annually.
