VARI-KOROPI AVENUE
In early July, if the tight schedules are adhered to, the new, widened, 11-kilometer-(7-mile) long Vari-Koropi road is to be opened to traffic, an important road artery for the Games and for which the design alone cost 49 million euros. Long before the new road is completed, however, the first weak points have appeared: Land was expropriated in a summary fashion, due to the time restrictions; the road edge is very narrow and buildings, including stores and factories, are sited almost right up to the gutter. So while the road is being widened, the extra width is lost to parked cars, causing problems for drivers and pedestrians, as the average traffic speed is expected to be 70 kilometers an hour. The road design made no provision for parking near the many commercial outlets along the road, so until solutions are found, the usual chaotic situation prevails where it is everyone for
