Greece to invest 3.5bn euros for the expansion of its new motorway network

With the construction works on the motorway network completed, the next day in the field o large-scale road projects is under consideration. The constructions world may have not realized it yet, but the era of large-scale motorway projects has now passed. In fact, all road-related projects we expect in the near future are, for the most part, “leftovers” of projects we have seen running for 2 decades.

However, over the next few years, more than 2bn euros are to be invested for the enrichment of the recently released to operation, motorway network that will bring it to its final form by 2022.

The projects being planned are mainly extensions of the existing axes, which will be carried out as public construction works with only one case of a brand new covered motorway axis emerging: Crete’s Northern Motorway Axis (aka VOAK) with an initial estimated cost of 1.1bn euros. It will be a concession project rather than a public one.

In the mainland, however, we will see motorway extension projects funded by NSRF and EIB in order for the network to cover more areas and provide increased overall efficiency. In Peloponnese, we expect the “natural” extension of Olympia Motorway from Patra to Pyrgos. NSRF will cover 355mio euros.

While in Epirus region there are ambitious plans for the “natural” extension of Ionian Motorway as well, from Ioannina to the borders with Albania, at Kakavia. The cost for the half part of the projects amounts to approximately 340mio euros.

In the regions of Central Greece and Thessaly, the completion of Central Motorway E65’s Southern and Northern ends, budgeted at 700mio euros, are also in the queue. In the region of Attica, a new plan for the extensions of Attiki Motorway is under development with its cost remaining unknown, for the time being, although there is an estimation for a required budget of 1bn euros.

Aktio-Amvrakia Motorway, essentially a branch of Ionian Motorway to the West, is under construction, requiring about 170mio euros to be completed by 2021. A project with a smaller scope, but equally important, is the 18-km long motorway linking the future International Airport of Kasteli in Crete with VOAK, at a cost which is included in the 500mio-euro investment of the new facilities and infrastructure.

The total for the above-mentioned projects, that will complete the country’s puzzle of large motorway axes ranges from 3.5-4bn euros, which means that the era of large-scale road projects is not completely over yet, at least for the next six years.

Nikos Karagiannis-ypodomes.com

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