VOAK: new electronic tolls model to be used in Crete’s new motorway

VOAK will operate with a new toll model from the first day of operation, while it is of interest in which section tolls will operate on the highway of Crete.

In yesterday’s press briefing, the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, Giorgos Karagiannis, announced that VOAK will operate with an electronic toll system which will only have lateral tolls. That is, it will record the number plate of the car at the entrance to the highway and the user will pay at the exit, depending on the kilometers traveled.

Where tolls will operate

A very important element that was clarified yesterday is that tolls on VOAK will only operate on the Chania-Heraklion-Hersonissos section, i.e. the section implemented through a concession contract. As explained by Mr. Karagiannis, the bypasses of the cities of Chania, Rethymno and Heraklion are excluded from the payment of tolls as they also serve many local movements.

In the sections Hersonissos-Neapolis and Neapolis-Agios Nikolaos there will be no toll payment as in one section the repayment will be made with availability payments of the Greek State, while in the other the implementation will be done as a public project.

Essentially, drivers will pay the amount of 0.063 cents per kilometer on the 157 kilometer section from Chania to Hersonissos, which is the same as the rest of the country’s highway network.

For example, in the approximately 140 kilometers that separate Chania from Heraklion, the cost of travel will be (at today’s prices) approximately 8.80 euros. But if a driver starts from Heraklion to go to Agios Nikolaos, then he will pay tolls up to Hersonissos about 1.5 euros and for the rest of the route he will move freely without any further charge. If someone moves on the Hersonissos-Agios Nikolaos section, then he will not have to pay any toll fee.

How will the State financially cover the cost of VOAK

Of great interest is also how the Greek State will financially cover the costs of VOAK. The construction of the section of the concession from Chania to Hersonissos is estimated at approximately 1.75 billion euros. Of these, an amount of 800 million euros will be the participation of the Greek State (600 million euros from the NSRF and another 200 million euros from the Recovery Fund). The Kissamos-Chania section (with 200 million euros) has also been included in the project as an option.

In the tolls, the state will pay the concessionaire “shadow tolls”, that is, an additional percentage on the tolls, which is an element of the tender, a form of subsidizing the operation of the road. This will essentially cover any “holes” that exist in the smooth repayment of the project, as according to research, most of the journeys in VOAK are more local and not long-distance.

This means that in the offers for the part of the concession expected on May 8, the schemes are asked to offer on two things: on the participation of the Greek State (the less than 800 the higher the score) and on the percentage of shadow tolls that will receive (ie whether it will be 100% on the amount of 0.063 per kilometer or 80% or 50% and so on).

To avoid misunderstandings, we should clarify that the driver will pay the amount of 0.063 per kilometer (and the state the additional shadow tolls) and it concerns the Chania-Hersonissos section.

The offers for Chania-Hersonissos 

In the ongoing tender, interest is now focused on the final battle for Chania-Hersonissos, which is the submission of binding offers. According to what has been leaked, it seems that we have withdrawn from the competition of the French company Vinci.

Now what the project will end up with is a purely “Greek” affair. GEK TERNA, ACTOR CONCESSIONS, MYTILINEOS and AVAX will be the contenders and it remains to be seen if we will have any joint forces as it is a very demanding project. To date, there seems to be no participation of INTRAKAT in the big competition.

If the project ends up with GEK TERNA, it will give it even greater hegemony in road concession projects as, including Egnatia Odos, it will have almost 1,700 kilometers of closed highway.

If the project goes to AKTOR CONCESSIONS or AVAX then they will have greatly strengthened their presence in road infrastructure projects. On the contrary, if we have a contractor in a consortium of Mytilineos, it will be a right of passage as it will be its first participation in a concession road project.

Let us remind you that signatures have taken place for the VOAK sections, of Hersonissos-Neapolis (GEK TERNA-AKTOR CONCESSIONS-INTRAKAT) and Neapolis-Agios Nikolaos (INTRAKAT). In these we also have funding from the Recovery Fund. In the first with 90 million euros and in the second with the entire budget, i.e. 186 million euros.