Ionian Motorway: The release of the southernmost section to reduce time-distances drastically

Ionian Motorway changed considerably especially, after the release of its southernmost section, from Antirrio to Klokova, finally establishing a road connection with Rio-Antirrio Bridge. Although just 6.5 km long, this short, single-lane, per direction, section was enough to cause congestion and a “bottleneck effect” between 2 covered motorways, especially in conditions of increased traffic.

The recent release solved these issues once and for all while reduced time distances to and from Athens. Athens to Mesolongi has now dropped to just 2 hours and 10 minutes and Athens to Agrinio to 2 hours and 30 minutes. Significant travel-time reductions are introduced for Lefkada or Aktio areas too (3 hours and 30 minutes), where it could be even less if it wasn’t for Amfilochia-Aktio obsolete road axis.

Apart from the reduced time distances, it is very important that a major safety upgrade of the old road between Antirrio and Ioannina has been completed towards a modern, high-standard, covered motorway for the most part of the distance at least and running along particularly scenic places of the Greek nature. The section of the motorway that passes through the lakes around Amfilochia in the South and its mountainous bit between Arta and Ioannina in the North feature the most beautiful sceneries across its, roughly, 200 km.

The aforementioned sections happen to be the last pending bits of the motorway, expected to be delivered over the Summer. Time distance between Athens and Ioannina is now 4 hours, and will drop slightly more (3 hours and 40 minutes) after the release of the last 2 sections that will also conclude the project. Ionian Motorway is undoubtedly synonymous to a new and far better road safety reality for the overlooked, until very recently, road network of Western Greece and Epirus regions. Nevertheless, a key element that would allow the achievement of seamless car traffic and could truly reduce driving times, is the modernization of the tolling system and the operation of wireless “e-pass” transceivers.

Nikos Karagiannis-ypodomes.com

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