Contractor ready to start work on the main road at Solari
CORFU. Frustrated residents have been trying to find out from the Deputy Regional Governor, Dionisis Tsoukas, when something is going to be done about the chaos in the area.
Work is finally ready to go ahead on the road at Solari – one of the main arteries on the island and also one of the most problematic. For decades, there has been chaos on this half-finished section of the national Palaiokastritsas road for drivers and pedestrians alike. A lack of safety measures (only pitfalls) means that accidents are an everyday occurrence.
On a road which fulfils none of the criteria required for a ‘national’ road, the monstrous traffic islands that were built a few years ago have only made traffic flow harder. Driving on this section of the road has become a ‘sport’ for those who know the pitfalls and extremely dangerous for visitors who can’t imagine what is suddenly going to appear from nowhere in front of them.
Enough is enough
Last summer, frustrated residents and shopkeepers sent a letter to the Traffic Police requesting a solution to the chaotic traffic flow and last Thursday representatives went to the office of the Deputy Regional Governor for Natural Resources, Energy and Manufacturing, Dionisis Tsoukas, to ask when something was going to be done about the situation.
Work is now ready to begin and local businesses can expect temporary traffic flow measures. Tomorrow, Tuesday 16th, it will be finalised by the Financial Committee and then passed to the local authority for approval – which is expected to take 5 or 6 days. Following that, the contractor chosen from the tendering procedure will sign the contract. Mr. Tsoukas told Enimerosi that the contractor has provided all the necessary documentation and the work is expected to be completed within ten months of his putting his signature to the contract.
Traffic islands
Wherever it is feasible, there will be traffic islands and on the remaining sections of the road there will be double lines of plastic posts. The aim is to prevent U-turns at any point of the road, as has been happening up to now. Drivers will only be able to turn around at the roundabouts and junctions – at Kefalomantouko and Alykes (Ekati) – or passing Capoukines and going around Platytera.
Traffic lights
To aid the smooth flow of traffic, traffic lights will be placed at the Lofo Kogevina crossroads (Dimitra supermarket), Kefalomantouko crossroads and the Potamos crossroads. On the section between the Potamos and Kefalomantouko crossroads, there will be traffic lights which will allow pedestrians to cross when they press the button.
Other measures
- Pedestrian crossings.
- Completion of the rainwater drainage network.
- Railings at pedestrian crossings and bus stops.
- Completion of street lighting, asphalting as well as signage and markings (road signs, lane markings and reflectors).
- Repair of storm drainage on the section between the Potamos junction and Tzavros junction.
Cost
The funding for the work, which had been pending since 2009, was included on 15th March, 2017 in the Business Programme ‘Western Greece-Peloponnese-Ionian Islands 2007-2013’. The contract is worth 3,750,000 Euros (including VAT), however, the winning contractor has offered a significant discount of 48%. The deputy regional governor stated that the contractor is obliged to produce a timeline for the work and to honour it, otherwise fines will be imposed.
