Christos Dimas had already spoken on the radio station Parapolitika 90.1 about the E65 motorway and reiterated, more concisely, in a Facebook post that the northern section will open to traffic in July. This section connects Kalambaka with Grevena, where he noted that the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport was visiting. In his post, he specifically wrote: “During July, the northern section of the E65, from Kalambaka to Grevena, opens to traffic. A modern motorway that will connect Central Greece, Thessaly, Western Macedonia and Epirus safely, comfortably and swiftly.”
Christos Dimas: His statements on Parapolitika 90.1
“The Metamorfosi interchange is expected to be completed within 2026, making a substantial contribution to addressing Athens’ traffic congestion problem,” said the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Christos Dimas, on the morning of Wednesday, June 24. In an interview on Parapolitika 90.1 and the programme “Facing Microphones” with journalists Vasilis Skouris and Sotiris Xenakis, Mr. Dimas spoke about all the major infrastructure projects currently being implemented across the country.
Read also: Christos Dimas: Announcements on the Aegean–Black Sea–Baltic strategic corridor coming in September
Among other topics, Mr. Dimas discussed progress on the E-65 motorway, the Athens and Thessaloniki Metro systems (including the Kalamaria extension), the VOAK highway in Crete, the Flyover in Thessaloniki, and the interchange currently under development at Metamorfosi.
Dimas on traffic congestion: Metamorfosi interchange to be completed within 2026
Speaking in greater detail about the traffic congestion that affects thousands of drivers in Athens on a daily basis, Mr. Dimas first clarified that this issue is not exclusively within the remit of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. He went on to state that the Metamorfosi interchange is expected to be completed within 2026, describing it as a very significant development in tackling congestion. He made special reference to the point where Attiki Odos meets the national highway, emphasising that there will be two separate traffic lanes for vehicles arriving either from Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” or from Elefsina.
Mr. Dimas also stated: “We tendered the triple Skaramagkas interchange last year and expect to sign the contract within the next two to three weeks — the process has moved very quickly and at a very good pace. It is extremely important for the Kifissos corridor as well, since it will offer an alternative route for heavy vehicles, diverting them away from the city’s urban road network. In effect, we are connecting the Aigaleo ring road to the national highway via Schistou Avenue. The Schisto bridge will be built with two lanes in each direction, and we are removing certain traffic lights, which will greatly help to smooth the flow of traffic. At the same time, we have other traffic interventions planned for Attica. Within 2026 we will have completed our intervention at the Metamorfosi interchange — specifically at the point where Attiki Odos meets the national highway. Here we are making a targeted intervention whereby vehicles arriving from either Eleftherios Venizelos Airport or Elefsina will enter via two separate lanes,” Mr. Dimas emphasised.
E-65 motorway completion set for July
Speaking about the E-65 motorway, which he was visiting for an inspection, Mr. Dimas underlined that “it is an exceptionally important motorway, as it connects Central Greece with Thessaly and Western Macedonia, and even Epirus. The final 45 kilometres — from Meteora to Grevena — will provide significantly greater connectivity for areas of Western Macedonia and Epirus. The final 45 kilometres will open to traffic during July,” Mr. Dimas said.
Athens Metro update
Turning to the Athens Metro, Mr. Dimas highlighted that “the tunnel boring machine ‘Athena’ has completed its route, having excavated the entire tunnel from Katechaki all the way to the Evangelismos shaft. The second tunnel boring machine set off from Veïkou Avenue, has passed through Kypseli, and all being well, it will also have completed its route by the end of the year — so the metro is progressing. This is an extremely significant project, as 15 new stations will make a major contribution to easing traffic congestion. The project has experienced some delays; the timeline set when the tender was launched may have been overly ambitious, but in any case it is a project that is now advancing at a satisfactory pace,” the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport continued.
Thessaloniki Metro extension to Kalamaria to be completed this summer
Speaking about the Thessaloniki Metro and its extension towards Kalamaria, Mr. Dimas stressed that “the metro extension to Kalamaria, with its five additional stations, will be completed during the summer of 2026. In the 17 months since the Thessaloniki Metro began operating, we have managed to significantly reduce the number of vehicles entering the city centre, substantially relieving the traffic congestion that previously existed. Of course, this has been achieved not only through the operation of the metro itself, but also through very important measures introduced by the Traffic Police as well as by local authorities — and all of these combined have resulted in a reduction of over 15% in the number of vehicles in the city centre,” the minister said.
“With the five new metro stations towards Kalamaria, we expect an increase of more than 10,000 daily metro users, meaning the reduction in vehicles entering the city centre will be even greater. Beyond the metro, another very significant intervention is the replacement of the entire bus fleet, both in Athens and in Thessaloniki. These are modern, low-emission buses, fully accessible to all citizens,” Mr. Dimas added.
When will the Flyover be completed?
Beyond the Thessaloniki Metro, the minister also spoke about other projects under way in Greece’s second city, referring primarily to the Flyover elevated expressway. Mr. Dimas said that “work is progressing at a very fast pace — we have passed the 50% completion mark and we estimate that within approximately the next 10 months it will be finished and ready to open to traffic. The elevated expressway is of great importance, as it will be able to double the volume of vehicles served, from 5,000 to 10,000 cars, and this will make a decisive contribution to an even smoother flow of traffic in Thessaloniki.”
In addition, Mr. Dimas referred to the construction of 17 new schools in the Region of Central Macedonia — most of them in the Regional Unit of Thessaloniki — which are set to be ready by September 2026.
What Christos Dimas said about the VOAK highway in Crete
Finally, on the subject of the VOAK (North Crete Motorway), Mr. Dimas said it is “the last unresolved commitment of the Greek state with regard to motorways. We signed the contract for the Chania–Heraklion section on 9 May 2025, and since then we have activated the optional extension Chania–Kissamos — that is, the westward extension from Chania to the far end of western Crete — seven months ahead of schedule. We already have construction sites outside the cities of Chania, Rethymno and Heraklion. Most importantly, we are now implementing very significant road safety measures in Crete. Interventions have already been carried out from Chania to Kolymbari and from the Heraklion waste management site to Ellinoperamata. By summer, we will have completed 131 kilometres of road safety measures from Chania to Kissamos.”
