Egnatia Odos: 3+3 important road projects in Northern Greece

With three major ongoing projects and three ongoing tenders, Egnatia Odos S.A. continues to proceed with the implementation of important road projects in the region of Northern Greece promoted by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.

These projects concern the connection of the 6th wharf of the ThPA S.A., with the national highway network of the country, the bypass of Provatona on the Ardani-Ormenio vertical axis and the Dimarios-Synora section of the Xanthi-Synora vertical axis. At the same time, it is running the tenders for the Drama-Kavala axis, for the Melivoia-Dimario section of the Xanthi-Synora vertical axis, as well as the Kleisoura Tunnel project.

It is worth mentioning that this year Egnatia Odos delivered during the summer two important projects that had been left unfinished for years. The first was the completion of the “orphaned” kilometer in the Moudania-Potidaia section, and the second was the delivery of the last section of the Thermi-Galatista axis.

The connection of the 6th pier

The road connection of the 6th pier with the highway network is a breath-taking project for the port as well as the area of ​​Kalochori. A few days ago a government echelon headed by the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the construction site.

The construction works of this important project have started around the middle of 2021 and have a completion horizon of the end of 2023. It is a technically challenging project as it includes a 1.4 km road bridge with 2+2 lanes per traffic stream.

It starts from the port and ends at a connection with PATHE west of the existing Kalochori junction. Upon its completion, the sixth and most important jetty of the city’s port will have a direct connection and help in the movement of containers. The project will also relieve the local traffic in Kalochori, which until today “sighs” from the traffic of trucks on the local road network. AKTOR has undertaken the projects.

Upgrading the area

Along with the transportation, there will also be an environmental upgrade because there was a garbage dump in the area. This is a point of particular environmental interest. At the same time, the project is estimated to cause an increase in industrial real estate as the upgraded connection attracts investors looking for premises near the port.

It’s still a project that has been stuck for several years. The first studies began in the 1990s. During the 2000s, construction began and until 2010 some works were done but remained unfinished and since then there has been continuity. At the end of 2019, the activation of the project began and within 6 months the project was auctioned. The project contract took place in mid-2021 as there were appeals in the tender which delayed the whole process.

Prοvatonas Bypass

The object of the project in question is the completion of the construction of the road bypass of the settlement of Provatona, 3.93 km long, the construction of the Provatona Highway and the completion of the construction of the side road network on either side of the axis and the restoration of the network of local roads (vertical streets).

Drama-Kavala

Another major road project tendered by Egnatia Odos concerns the upgrading of the first section of the Drama-Kavala axis. It concerns the road subsection “Agios Athanasios – Krinides” and the road subsection “Krinides – Ag. Syllas” including the entry-exit branches in the artery of the Krinido and Stavros junctions, so that the section will be functional after its completion, connecting to the existing national roads “Drama – Kavala” and “Eleftheroupoli – Kavala”.

The tender of 60 million euros including VAT started on June 30th and the INTERKAT-TEKAL scheme with 14% has emerged as the temporary contractor. The Vertical Axis “Serres – Drama – Kavala” is part of the Greek Trans-European Road Network (Trans-European Axis 22 – Road network under design, Extended) and connects the Vertical Axis “Thessaloniki – Serres – Promahona” with Serres, Drama and Kavala and more widely with the Port of Kavala, ending at Ag. Sylla on Egnatia Odos. The E-61 road section from Drama to Kavala (section 61.5) is a new four-lane expressway for its longest length.

The Kleisoura Tunnel

The object of the project in question is the complete construction of the arterial of the new Provincial Road, which is part of the road axis Kastoria – Ptolemaida and is located in the Administrative boundaries of the Regional Units of Kastoria and Florina and ends at the boundaries of the prefecture of Kozani.

The tender of 71 million euros including VAT started on April 13 and AKTOR was declared the temporary contractor with a percentage of 16.72%. The contract is expected to be signed in the near future.