Central Greece motorway (E65): construction of the northern part to commence this summer

The big project for the construction of the northern part of the E65, from Trikala to the Garden of Grevena, passes in the final straight. According to information, in June the amended concession agreement is expected to be ratified by the Parliament (as this is a project whose contract is a law of the state) to which the northern part is now added. It is to be reminded that the contract has been approved by the Court of Auditors.

The final step is to be signed by the Central Road and the ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. The projects are expected to start immediately in the summer. With this addition, the backlog of the GEK TERNA group climbs over 3 billion euros, placing it at the top of the industry.

The financing of the project will be covered by the Recovery Fund because the project has been linked to the process of de-lignification of the country and therefore has the stamp of the “green” project.

Athens-Grevena in 4 hours

With the work of the northern part, the E65 highway is completed from end to end and will be an 181.5 km axis that will start from Lamia, will pass through Domoko, Karditsa and Trikala to end in connection with the Egnatia Highway. It took almost 10 years for the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport to break a difficult bond. The trip from Lamia to Grevena will last 1 hour and 45 minutes, instead of the 3 hours and 15 minutes required today, while Athens – Grevena will not exceed 4 hours!

The distance from Athens to Metsovo will be reduced to just 4 hours and the tranport to Kastoria and Kozani will be a matter of 4.5 hours. Areas of significant tourist interest such as Meteora, Lake Plastira, Agrafa, and Karpenisi are now accessible, quickly, easily and safely.

Three years of construction

The northern part is 70.5 km long and will cost 442m euros. Its construction duration will be three years and if there is no delay it will be delivered to traffic at the end of 2024. It will have two lanes per direction and LEA, as well as four tunnels.

It will connect Athens with Western Macedonia, but also with Italy through the Port of Igoumenitsa, as well as with the Western Balkans and from there, with Central and Northern Europe. Upon completion, the journey from Lamia to Egnatia will take one hour and 30 minutes, instead of the two hours and 30 minutes required today.

The project is being constructed by TERNA. The independent engineers of the project are AECOM-OMEK. The contracting authority is the ministry of Infrastructure and Tranport.

According to a video published for E65, today the total progress in the northern part is 7%, which is concentrated in the Trikala-Kalampaka subsection with 25%. The route includes a western passage from Kalambaka and then will pass east of Mykani, west of Theotokou to end 15 west of the city of Grevena where it will meet with an uneven junction the Egnatia Odos.

The great contribution of E65 to the Greek economy

According to relevant studies, during the construction phase employment will be stimulated with more than 1,000 jobs, while the project will contribute about 0.5% to the country’s GDP. It is worth noting that the reduction of operating costs due to the implementation of the project will stimulate the competitiveness of Greek exports, since part of the cost of products, which is transport costs, will be reduced (especially for transport on the corridor Attiki – Ioannina – Igoumenitsa Port to Central and Western Europe). For the same reasons, the cost of imported products is expected to decrease, to the benefit of consumers.

A project of strategic importance for Western Macedonia

The E65 is one of the most important road projects of strategic importance for large areas of the country. In addition to drastically reducing distances in Central Greece by providing fast and safe movement, at the same time it “breaks” the isolation of Western Macedonia, in view of the difficult task of de-ligation and the transition of the region to a sustainable development. It is to be reminded that in the area it is planned to implement a number of investments in the sectors of production and storage of clean energy, industry and trade (eg the creation of an industrial park for waste management tourism, agricultural production, etc). For all this to operate is needed quality, fast and safe road infrastructure, which will be ensured through the E65.

Technical description of the northern part

Today, all the environmental studies of the department have been completed, while in particular, from the 111th km to the 136th km, the technical studies have been implemented, expropriations, network movements and archaeological research have been completed. The general construction progress, before the postponement of the works, was at 7%, while for the section from Trikala to Kalampaka this percentage amounts to 25%. Flood protection, rainwater network, earthmoving and small technical works have already been constructed.

The new alignment from the 136th km to the end of the project at a lower altitude than originally planned (from 950 meters to 650 meters), with a shorter length of underground works and 11.7 km of additional open work, favors the security conditions and operation of the Project, reducing construction costs and also improving the environmental footprint.

Analytically

Total length: 70.5 km.

 2 Tunnels (at the 137th km & at the 176th km)

20 Bridges

11 Upper & 48 Lower Passages

3 double sided Parking & Rest (Parking & WC)

 89 Ark Gutters and Fauna Crossings

 6 Level Junctions (Vasiliki, Kalampaka, Grevena, Oxynia, Agiofyllou-Carpero and Egnatia)

 2 Motorway Service Stations (Raxa Trikala, Agiofyllo – Carpero)

1 Frontal Toll Station (Oxynia) and 3 Lateral Toll Stations (A / C Trikala, A / C Kalampaka, A / C Agiofyllou – Karperou)

2 Control & Maintenance Centers (Trikala, Agiofyllou – Carpero)

 1 Traffic Management Center & 1 Tunnel Control Center

 1 Traffic Building