skylinearth

The Egnatia motorway project

A modern closed motorway 670 kilometres long and 24.5 metres wide over the greatest part of its length following a new alignment and running across Epirus and Northern Greece from Igoumenitsa to Evros, the Egnatia Motorway is one of the largest road construction projects in Europe.

Nine major vertical axes connect the motorway with Albania , FYROM, Bulgaria and Turkey . Furthermore, 5 ports and 6 airports service the road.

A raft of tunnels, bridges and interchanges carry it across the Greek countryside.



Progress:
http://www.egnatia.gr/flash/images/P...ER_2006_GR.jpg

site:
http://www.egnatia.gr/flash/en/index.html

On the threshold of the 21st century, one of the largest road construction projects being carried out in Greece (and, indeed, anywhere in Europe) is the Egnatia Motorway, the modern reincarnation of the great Roman highway known as the Via Egnatia.

The 670 km Egnatia Motorway is a modern motorway that will probably be the only road (and by extension the only transport) link spanning Northern Greece from its western to its eastern border. From its starting-point at Igoumenitsa, it runs across the Prefectures of Thesprotia, Ioannina, Grevena, Kozani, Imathia, Thessaloniki, Serres, Kavala, Xanthi, Rodopi and Evros, to the village of Kipoi on the Turkish border.

Nine major vertical axes provide links to Albania, FYROM, Bulgaria and Turkey, and the whole system is served by 720 km of service roads.

The Egnatia Motorway was designed to the specifications of the Trans-European road network. It is a closed dual carriageway motorway with a central reserve, two traffic lanes plus an emergency lane per direction, for a total paved width of 24.5 metres over its greatest part, except for the road's mountainous sections.

What makes it one of the most interesting technical projects in Greece today is the number of structures needed to carry it across the countryside.

The realisation of this motorway requires the construction of:

* 1650 bridges, with a combined length of 40 km (or 80 km measured as single-carriageway bridges)
* 74 tunnels, with a combined length of 49,5 km (or 99 km measured as single-carriageway tunnels). Three of these tunnels are more than 3 km long: the Driskos Twin-Bore Tunnel, 4.7 km long per carriageway, the Dodoni Twin-Bore Tunnel, 3.4 km long per carriageway, and the Metsovo Single-Bore Tunnel, 3.5 km long, which is already constructed. The tunnels on the inland alignment Strymonas - Peramos are also included.
* 50 interchanges with the existing road network.
* 43 river crossings
* 11 railway crossings.

From February 2000 to date, 446 km of new motorway were opened to traffic.

n February 2000, the first 51 km in Thrace and 3 km in Thessaloniki were opened to traffic. In July, 24 km were opened to traffic in Siatista and Kozani; in August, 14 km on the section Ag. Andreas-Ag. Syllas at Kavala By-pass, and in October, 4 km at Komotini By-pass. In March 2001, 20 km were opened to traffic in the area of Polimilos-Kozani, while in April, 12 km at Kavala By-pass, 18 km in the region of Grevena-Siatista, and 7 km in the region of Pilea-Ardanio. Finally, in September 2001, 9 km were opened to traffic in the region of Veria-Kouloura.

In 2002, a combined section length of 107 km was opened to traffic, out of which the first 25 km in Epirus, 15 km on the section Profitis-Nimphopetra and 67 km in Thrace.

In 2003, sections of a total length of 79 km were opened to traffic, from Kavala By-pass to Chrisoupoli and on the sections Kouloura - Klidi (26 km), K2 (Ionia) - K4 (7 km) (Outer Thessaloniki Ring Road) and Derveni - Analipsi (17 km).

In 2004, sections of a total length of 45 km were opened to traffic. 10 km in Epirus from Igoumenitsa to Neochori, 26 km in West Macedonia the section Polimilos to Veria (Kastania Bypass) and 9 km in Central Macedonia (External Ring Road of Thessaloniki).

In 2005, sections of a total length of 35 km were opened to traffic; 22 km in Central Macedonia (from Asprovalta to Strimonas), and 13 km in Epirus (4 km in the section Pedini - Dodoni Tunnel and 9 km from Peristeri I/C to Metsovo I/C).

In 2006, sections of a total length of 18 km were opened to traffic in Central Macedonia Prefecture; 8 km from Nymfopetra to Megali Volvi and 10 km from Rentina I/C to Asprovalta I/C.

Giorgos

Amazing project and one of the biggest in Europe.

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RWC-04

this road is open now and I passed there. It is an amazing road, one of the best highways I met so far and this east macedonia part must be seen. When you are passing the green mountains, you watch the sea and islands on the left (or right according to the direction )

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KAYSERI'S NEW STADIUM TRABZON'S NEW STADIUM