Ionian Motorway: One step closer to the project’s completion as another 37 km were released to traffic

Yet another ribbon-cutting ceremony took place earlier today. It was Ionian Motorway’s turn in Western Greece, to make another crucial step towards its definite completion with the inauguration of Klokova-Kefalovriso. The released motorway section has a length of 37 km and is located at its southern end.

With 2 tunnels, 2.9 and 1.24 km long and 4 new bridges, most important of which being in Evinos River (260 m. long with its foundation going as deep as 35 m.) it is a motorway section with impressive technical characteristics.

Time distance between Antirrion and Ioannina will drop to 2 hours and 10 minutes as of today while it is expected to be reduced even more when Ionian Motorway becomes fully operational across its 196 km. Time distance from Athens to Agrinio will be now covered in 2 hours and 20 minutes, to Amfilochia in 3 hours, to Arta in 3 hours and 50 minutes and in Ioannina to 4 and 30 minutes.

Record time for Klokova tunneling works

It is quite impressive that Klokova Tunnel was dug in just 13 months and is released to traffic 24 months after the initiation of the relevant construction works. It is noteworthy that the tunnel offers advanced safety features such as side links for cars and pedestrians and emergency parking spaces. The newly released covered motorway features 2 lanes per direction plus hard shoulder.

Information deriving from Infrastructure Ministry suggest that the pending southern section (Antirrion-Klokova) will be released in May 1^st, 2017, forming a continuous motorway of 100 km, leaving just 2 relatively small chunks for the following months.

Nikos Karagiannis-ypodomes.com

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