Roadworks await Easter travelers
There was mixed news for Easter travelers, as it was confirmed that ferry services would not be affected by strikes but Athenians heading to northern Greece or the Peloponnese by road are likely to encounter numerous roadworks. It was confirmed yesterday that sailors would not be striking this week, when 130 vessels are to set sail from Piraeus for various islands. Ferry companies said that bookings at the start of the week were about 20 percent down on last year. They put the drop in numbers down to the economic crisis, the fact that the dates of the Orthodox and Catholic Easter fall on the same weekend and because it is too early in the season for many hotels to open. The majority of travelers, however, will be taking their cars and though they would have been boosted by the news earlier this week that the Vale of Tempe section of the Athens-Thessaloniki highway will be open over Easter and a new section of national road between Corinth and Kalamata is now open, there will also be a long list of roadworks to contend with over the next few days. It was announced yesterday that there will be works at seven points along the Corinth-Patra highway, where traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction. Drivers heading north of Athens will have to watch for lanes merging when passing Yliki Lake in Viotia. Although they will be able to pass through the Vale of Tempe as of tomorrow, the Tempe-Platamonas section will be limited to just one lane in each direction. There will also be roadworks at four points on a 70-kilometer stretch of highway near Thessaloniki. Traffic police said that officers will be stationed every 20 to 30 kilometers along national roads.
