ECONOMY

Central Greece highway concession contract signed

Central Greece highway concession contract signed

Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kostas A. Karamanlis and the CEO of contractor Kentriki Odos SA Rodanos Antonakopoulos Thursday signed a contract for the construction of the north section of the Central Greece Motorway (E65), the ministry announced.

The highway will connect Athens to Western Macedonia and also to Italy via the port of Igoumenitsa, but also to the Western Balkans and from there to the rest of Central and Northern Europe.

Upon the completion of E65’s northern section, the time required to drive from Lamia to Egnatia Odos will take 1.5 hours, a whole hour less than currently required.

It will also support Western Macedonia during the region’s critical transition toward the phasing out of lignite dependency for power production, it was noted in the ministry’s announcement. The connection of Western Macedonia with Athens and Central Greece will support companies already active in the region and attract new investments, it added.

In January 2021 the European Commission approved Greek public funding of 442 million euros for the highway’s construction and another €38 million to cover operating and maintenance expenses for this section. The project is expected to be completed in three years’ time.

 

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