VOAK: phase 2 of the PPP tender for Crete’s new motorway to start in May

By May 24, the interested parties participating in the PPP tender for the VOAK section from Hersonissos to Neapoli must submit their proposals. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport thus begins the B`1 phase of the competition.

Let us remind you that in this section of VOAK the following groups have expressed interest:

– GEK TERNA SA
– ASSOCIATION OF PERSONS “ARIADNE HIGHWAY” (AVAX-MARGUERITE)
– AKTOR CONCESSIONS SA
– SHIKUN BINUI LTD
– ASSOCIATION OF PERSONS “JOINT VENTURE ACCIONA CONCESIONES- MYTILINEOS INTERTOLL”.

In the section “Hersonissos-Neapoli”, 22.5 km long, the Environmental Impact Study has been submitted for approval to the Ministry of Environment and Energy. In the next steps of the competition, it will be decided to approve the participation of the pre-selected ones and the operation of the Data Office will begin. Then there will be two rounds of dialogue that will complete the second phase.

Then we will move on to the final phase with the submission of technical and financial bids that will lead us to the emergence of the contractor who will undertake the project.

The concession section

At the same time, the procedures for the concession section from Chania to Hersonissos are underway. According to information, the filing in this section of the Environmental Study at RIS is a matter of days.

The estimate that exists is that in the summer the B` phase will be able to start so that the two competitions run almost in parallel. Remember that in this section the following have expressed their interest:

– AKTOR CONCESSIONS
-ΤΕΡΝΑ
-ΑΒΑΞ
-VINCI
-K / X MYTILINEOS-ACCIONA CONCESIONES.

The financing of the project

As it has already become known, VOAK will be financed (the part of public participation) by the Recovery Fund, which ensures the overall implementation of the project from end to end.

It is one of the projects that the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport had as its main goal as the low loads on most of the Northern Road Axis of Crete, made the project particularly difficult to finance.

Now, with the 427 million euros that were secured for the construction of the project, the completion of VOAK is taking shape, which translates as a great success for the ministry and the government.

Of this, about 200 million euros will go to the concession section (Chania-Hersonissos), 90 million euros to the PPP (Hersonissos-Neapoli).

However, the Neapoli-Agios Nikolaos section, the third section of the axis, also takes the path of implementation through the Recovery Fund. The Ministry of  Infrastructure and Transport is proceeding with this, completing the studies and the goal is to start the auction of the project in 2021.

The overall goal remains to complete the tenders in 2022 and in 2023 to have contractors and to start what many call the “last big pending” in the country’s road projects.