The second phase of a two-phase EU-funded project to build a road linking Aktio and the A5 motorway, part of Western Greece’s main north-south road transport axis, is underway. When completed, the road – the future A52 motorway – will be 48.5 km long and 17.5 m wide, with two traffic lanes running in each direction either side of a central reservation. It will link with the A5 near Lake Amvrakia and will not be tolled.
- 11 April 2019
Over both phases of the project, the main elements of the work include constructing seven interchanges (junctions at which roads cross each other at different heights), one intersection (junctions at which roads cross at the same height) and one T junction.
The project involves various technical works, building connections with the rest of the road network, expropriation of land, archaeological works, displacement of public utility infrastructure and project management.
Completion of work begun under the first phase
Work on the new motorway is divided into four sections, with total lengths of 22.5 km, 4.4 km, 8.1 km and 13.5 km respectively. The first phase involved earthworks, technical works and building the road itself and related structures along the four sections. All work not completed under phase one is to be done in phase two.
Forming part of the Trans-European Transport Network, the road will connect the 1.5 km-long Aktio-Preveza undersea road tunnel – which runs under the mouth of the Ambracian Gulf and was the first undersea tunnel in Greece when it was finished in 2002 – at its north-western end with the A5 at its south-eastern end. It passes Aktion international airport, which in recent years has handled more than 5 000 flights and about 600 000 passengers annually.
The road will improve links with the Rio-Antirrio bridge and the nearby port of Patras. Opened in 2004, the bridge is at the southern end of the A5 and crosses the Gulf of Corinth, providing an important connection between mainland Greece and the Peloponnese peninsula. At close to 2.9 km in length, it is one of the world's longest multi-span cable-stayed bridges – bridges with towers from which cables support the deck. With a population of in excess of 200 000, Patras is Greece’s third-largest city. It is a major sea transport hub for freight and passengers between Greece, Italy and the rest of western Europe.
Shorter journey times
The motorway is expected to shorten journey times between the Aktio-Preveza tunnel and the main north-south A5 motorway near Lake Amvrakia by approximately 26 minutes, thereby cutting costs for transport of both people and goods. It should also bring about improvements in safety, resulting in fewer accidents and fatalities.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Construction integration of Road Connection of Aktio area with the Western North-South Axis – PHASE B” is EUR 240 004 916, with the EU’s Cohesion Fund contributing EUR 120 775 590 through the “Transport Infrastructure, Environment and Sustainable Development” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Transport and energy networks”.