Just a week after the government inaugurated the Egnatia Odos, the 670-kilometer highway that stretches from northeastern Greece to the northwestern port of Igoumenitsa, a section of the road has been closed already for repair work.

In a decision made by police in Alexandroupolis, the section of the highway between the northwestern city and the Kipoi border crossing will be closed for 10 days due to problems with the road surface.

According to the police, work needs to be carried out to ensure the surface is not slippery as well as to repair the drainage system, designed to direct rain water away from the road surface. The work is due to start tomorrow and is expected to last about 10 days, during which a diversion will be in place. The closure of part of the road is something of an embarrassment for the government, which had dismissed PASOK claims that it opened the road in a hurry to boost its popularity ahead of yesterday’s elections.