Gradually entering the completion phase in the coming period are a series of significant highway projects, which had remained pending for decades, waiting to be implemented. At the same time, the Ministry of Infrastructure is putting into motion new highways, which for years remained in the… drawers. However, the difficulty of securing the necessary funding makes the future of new projects that the country needs extremely uncertain.
Major highway projects in the final stretch – From VOAK to Thessaloniki’s Flyover
The most important challenge is the completion of VOAK (Northern Road Axis of Crete), which constitutes the largest highway infrastructure currently under construction in the country. A few days ago, the Ministry of Infrastructure announced an extension for the Neapolis – Agios Nikolaos section, 14 km long, which was tendered as a public project with the AKTOR Group as contractor and is thus expected to be completed by mid-2026. The reasons that led to the project extension are delays in delivering expropriated areas and relocating networks (DEDDIE and DEYA) as well as the re-preparation of basic design studies, due to the Revision of Environmental Specifications.
The Chersonissos – Neapolis section, which is being implemented using the PPP method, concerns a project with a total length of 22.4 km, with the GEK TERNA – AKTOR – Aktor Concessions consortium as contractor, and is in the construction phase with a completion horizon of 2027. The most significant and largest section of VOAK (157 km) is being implemented with a concession contract with GEK TERNA as contractor. The contract provides for simultaneous construction and operation of the road and, therefore, the sectional delivery of the highway.
The construction of Thessaloniki’s Flyover by the Metlen – AVAX consortium (PPP project) is also progressing at a fast pace, as is the public highway project Bralos – Amfissa (also with Avax technical company as contractor), with completion expected by the end of 2027 for both.
The Agios Nikolaos bypass of the Vonitsa – Lefkada highway, which connects the city of Lefkada with the “Aktio – Western Axis” section, was recently opened to traffic after completion of upgrade works. This is a section that bypasses the Agios Nikolaos settlement with a new alignment, approximately 3.5 km long, and is part of the Vonitsa – Lefkada highway, with a total length of 16 km. The AKTOR Group undertook the project of connecting Lefkada with the Aktio – Western Axis highway through two new highway sections: the Vonitsa – Lefkada section, approximately 16 km long, and the Aktio – Agios Nikolaos section, approximately 5 km long, with works that either replace with new ones or improve existing sections.
Most anticipated highway projects entering completion phase
Some of the country’s most anticipated highway projects, which had remained incomplete for years, are entering their final stage. A characteristic example is the Patras – Pyrgos highway, where, barring unforeseen circumstances, the last 10 kilometers will be delivered to traffic on November 30, with AVAX as contractor. It should be noted that the first 65 km of the project have already been put into use since August 1. At the same time, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has brought back to the forefront the prospect of extending the highway to Tsakona, provided the required funding is secured. This is a particularly demanding project, with costs estimated between 700 million and 1 billion euros, for which the maturation process is already “running” and the first official announcements are expected within 2026.
The northern section of E65, which connects Kalambaka with Egnatia Odos, is also on track for completion. Construction progress has exceeded 75% and the project, implemented by GEK TERNA and controlled by Central Road, is calculated to be completed within the first half of 2026. The 70.5 km section will connect Kalambaka with Grevena and Egnatia, giving new breath to the highway connections of Western Thessaly and Western Macedonia. Despite the fact that the project does not include major technical works, its alignment between mountain masses makes the work particularly demanding, especially during winter months.
New projects in Northern Greece
Meanwhile, two major PPP highway projects in Northern Greece have entered the second phase of competitive dialogue, for which binding financial offers will possibly be submitted by the end of 2025. These are projects concerning the Thessaloniki – Edessa and Drama – Amphipolis axes, whose budgets have been set at 444.91 million euros including VAT for the Thessaloniki – Edessa axis and 248.54 million euros for the Drama – Amphipolis axis. It is noted that GEK TERNA, Aktor Concessions – Metlen, AKTOR Group and Avax had entered the competitive dialogue phase for both tenders.
Published in MoneyPro of Parapolitika
