Ionia Motorway: countdown for the tender of the new section Ioannina – Greek Albanian borders

The implementation of the long-suffering project of upgrading the section of the Ionia Odos, Ioannina-Kakavia, is in the final stretch. The project for which efforts are being made to promote for more than ten years, it seems that this time it will succeed and will reach the source which is none other than the tender and finally its construction.

In his interview yesterday, the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, Giorgos Karagiannis, referred to the project, noting that the announcement of the project is a matter of about three months. The Regional Governor of Epirus, Alexandros Kahrimanis, was on the same wavelength a few days ago, who, speaking about the specific project, said that it is now a matter of time.

The implementation of the Ioannina-Kakavia section is expected to be financed by the inclusion of the project in the NSRF 2021-2027 in the “Transportation” Operational Program. It will be one of the major road projects of the new programming period and depending on the course of the tender, the project could be completed by the end of the current decade.

Implementation in two parts

As it has become known, the project will be implemented in two parts. The Ioannina-Kalpfaki section will be auctioned as the main project and the Kalpaki-Kakavia section will proceed as an option. With approximately the same method, the project for the Chalkida and Psachni Bypass is currently being auctioned. That is, there is a main project and then the option, i.e. the additional part to be built, is added to the construction object.

In order to reach the tender, it will be necessary to complete the Environmental Study (which is considered to be a matter of days) and then to approve its update by the Ministry of the Interior. This as the Kalpaki-Kakavia section did not have environmental conditions and the Ministry of Infrastructure had to run the relevant process.

The first very large project in Epirus after 2017

However, it is worth mentioning that it will be the first very large infrastructure project in Epirus, after the completion of the Ionian Motorway in 2017.

The Ioannina-Kakavia project belongs to the new generation of road projects of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. This is a series of projects that will start gradually from 2023 and 2024. Among them are the VOAK (Chania-Hersonissos and Hersonissos-Naples sections), the extension of Kymi Avenue as a project of the Attica Road, the Chalkida bypass, the road section Bralos-Amfissa, the axes Kalamata-Methoni, Thessaloniki-Edessa and Drama-Amphipoli. Together in the same category are the urban road projects for the flyover of Regional Thessaloniki and the Skaramanga Triple Junction.

An important element is that the axis will have characteristics of a closed highway in which 14 uneven junctions are planned. The road will start with a connection to an uneven junction on Egnatia Odos. The rest of the junctions are planned to be built in the following locations: Kosmira-Asvestochori, Grammenochoria, Passaronos, Zitsas, Karyes, Kalpaki, Doliana, Ravenia, Vissani, Delvinaki, Zavrocho, Kitsmata, Kakavia.