Thessaloniki Flyover: the tender for Greece’s largest road PPP – project now open until December

The tender of the flyover of Thessaloniki will be prolonged due to the second lockdown that has been imposed from the beginning of November. According to information from ypodomes.com, the expression of interest planned for tomorrow, November 19, will be postponed to the first days of December.

However, as the same sources note, the start of the competition is not affected by the mobilizations of the seven federations (23.11-11.12). The main reason for the change of the date is to “gain” more time as Greece has entered a new lockdown.

The flyover of Thessaloniki

The project for the flyover of Peripheral Thessaloniki is the largest road project-PPP in the country. The object of the project is the upgrade of the eastern side of Peripheral Thessaloniki to a length of 13 km with the creation of an uneven axis that will be based on bridges. It will start from A / K K5 (at the height of Papageorgiou) and will end at A / K K10 (Constantinopolitika).

At the same time, the existing road will be reconstructed in the entire width of its deck, the widening by one lane of traffic and L.E.A. in the Regional section from A / K K10 to A / K K12. Finally, the functional and geometric characteristics of the existing (eastern side) of Peripheral Thessaloniki will be improved.

This is one of the most impressive new projects implemented by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, which is also the Contracting Authority, and a very important project for Thessaloniki.

The pre-announcement of the project was made by the Minister of Ministry and Infrastructure, Costas Karamanlis, in the Thessaloniki Helexpo Forum. The cost of the project was estimated at 462 million euros (amount with VAT, amount without VAT 373.2 million euros), exceeding -finally- the respective PPP-projects for the VOAK Hersonissos-Neapoli section and the Kalamata-Pylos axis- Methoni.

At the date of expression of interest, it is expected that “strong” investors, not only from Greece but also from abroad, will be attracted.

The tender, like all the corresponding PPPs, consists of three phases. The first is with the expression of interest (or otherwise the default), then there is the 2nd phase which is divided into two subsections. Phase 2`1 is the dialogue in which the interested investors, the Ministry of Infrastructure and the local community will participate. From there, the physical object of the project will emerge, the studies will be prepared and their approvals will be obtained (from which the environmental study is the most important).

In phase 2`2, the remaining investors will submit their binding offer and from there the PPP contractor will emerge. Its duration was set at 30 years (360 months). This period includes the construction of the project which will require about 4 years.

THE PROJECT’S PROFILE

The project concerns a public-private partnership, where the private partnership (IFS) will implement the study, construction, financing of the upgrade of the Eastern Inner Thessaloniki, from A / K K5 (Papageorgiou Hospital) to A / K K12 (connection with EO Thessaloniki – Moudania), with the addition of an elevated expressway (flyover), and will undertake the operation and maintenance of the entire Inner Peripheral Thessaloniki, from A / K K16 (connection with P. Α.Θ.Ε.) to Α / Κ Κ12.

IFS will undertake in return for availability payments, during the operation period of the project, the following:

a) the elaboration of all the required studies and researches, for the construction of the project of the elevated expressway (flyover) and the upgrade of AESPOTH, based on the preliminary designs of the project, its final design project that will arise during the award process and its environmental licensing, based on its provisions and checks with reference number ΥΠ.ΕΝ / ΔΙΠΑ / 63738/3819 / 2.7.2020 (ΑΔΑ: 62ΠΓ4653Π8-ΕΥΧ) decision approving environmental conditions, for the construction and operation of the traffic upgrade works of the Internal Ring Road of Thessaloniki in section A ‘,

(b) the construction of all the works foreseen in the construction design studies of the project;

(c) the financing of the project, as will be apparent from the final design, and

d) the maintenance and operation of the road project, including the Western Ring Road, as provided in the final design, for the entire duration of the partnership, as well as any exercise by the public body of the relevant option, the construction of individual road sections and junctions within the road plan of Pylaia.

Specifically

The construction project concerns the upgrade / construction of the Eastern Inner Regional Thessaloniki (AESPER.), With a total length of 13 km. In particular: The section from A / K K5 to the area of the “Genesis” Hospital, with a length of 9.5 km, is planned to be upgraded with the addition of an elevated expressway (YTL) and the section “Genesis” – A / K K12, 3.5 km long, is planned to be widened by 1 lane in each direction (8, from 6 lanes in total). The upgrade of the Eastern Inner Regional Thessaloniki (AESPER) is provided through:

Section 1: The construction of an elevated expressway (YTL / level +1) 2 + 2 lanes of traffic, in the crossing zone of the existing Eastern Internal Ring Road (AESPER) in its section from A / K K5 (connection area of AESPER. With a road section that connects A / K TITAN of the External Regional with AESPER) to the area of A / K K10 (after the existing closed technical cut & cover, at the height of Genesis Hospital).

Also in combination with the reconstruction of the existing Ring Road (level 0), in the entire width of the deck [new pavement with sufficient inclination, 3 lanes of sufficient width in each direction, new median, new lateral configurations, addition of Emergency Lane (L.E.Α.) / Emergency parking platforms].

The upgrade of the above part of the project (flyover) will be done with:

a) the addition of two (2) traffic lanes and L.E.A. per direction, located in an independent traffic corridor, parallel to the AESPER,

b) the improvement of the geometric characteristics mainly of the cross section (restoration of the width of the traffic lanes, the addition of L.E.A.), but also of the horizontal (in problematic positions) of the existing AESPER .

c) the appropriate arrangement of the drainage of the cargo from the west (D.ES.PER., Titan) and from the east (Genesis) to the upgraded project (A.ES.PER. and Y.T.L.), and of entrances and exits along the AESPER. and Y.T.L.

Section 2: The widening by 1 lane of traffic and L.E.A. in the section of AESPER., from A / K K10 (“Genesis”) to A / K K12 (junction of AESPER with the National Road Thessaloniki – Moudania).