June 25, 1955
KARAMANLIS’S PROJECTS: Minister for Transport and Public Works Mr Constantine Karamanlis has announced that, as of today, Kavalas Avenue, which was built to divert some of the traffic from the Iera Odos, has opened to traffic. Kavalas Avenue, which will be known from now on as Athinon Avenue, reaches from the Monastery of Dafni on the southeastern outskirts of the city to Constantinoupoleos Avenue, where traffic is then channeled via Achilleos Street to Omonia Square and via Constantinoupoleos and Evthanassias streets to the northern suburbs of Athens and toward Pireos Street. The new avenue will divert much of the traffic flow from the Iera Odos, which until now was the main artery connecting the capital with the rest of Greece, at a rate of 7,500 vehicles daily. (Ed. note: The Athens-Lamia highway to the north was not built until some eight years later). Athinon Avenue was designed in such a way that when people drive into Athens, they will be heading toward and able to view the main landmarks of Lycabettus Hill and the Acropolis.
