Egnatia Odos (modern road)

Egnatia Odos or Egnatia Motorway (Greek: Εγνατία Οδός, often translated as Via Egnatia, code: A2) is the Greek part of European route . It is a motorway in Greece that extends from the western port of Igoumenitsa to the eastern Greek–Turkish border at Kipoi. It runs a total of 670 km (420 mi). The megaproject began in 1994 and was completed in 2009 at a cost of €5.93 billion ($6.77 billion);[1] it was managed by the company Egnatia Odos, S.A.

A2 motorway
Αυτοκινητόδρομος 2
Egnatia odos
Εγνατία Οδός
Via Egnatia
Route of Egnatia Odos
Route information
Part of E90
Length670 km (420 mi)
Major junctions
FromIgoumenitsa
ToKipoi
Location
RegionsEpirus, Macedonia, Thrace
Highway system
Motorways in Greece
For the ancient Roman road of the same name, see Via Egnatia.
For the street in Thessaloniki, see Egnatia Street.

Geography

The route traverses the mountainous Greek regions of Epirus and Macedonia, crossing the Pindos and Vermio mountain ranges, which posed formidable engineering challenges. It includes 76 tunnels (with a combined length of 99 km / 61.5 miles) and 1,650 bridges. It is a limited-access highway with sophisticated electronic surveillance measures, SCADA controls for the lighting/tunnel ventilation, and advanced vehicle collision absorption measures.[2]

Part of its length, a section of about 360 km (220 mi) from Evros to Thessaloniki, parallels the ancient Roman Via Egnatia, which ran from modern Durrës in Albania to Thessaloniki and thence to Byzantium (now Istanbul, Turkey). The project has therefore been dubbed a modern Via Egnatia (in Greek, Egnatia Odos / Εγνατία Οδός). However, the parallel is not exact; the original Via Egnatia was much longer (1,120 km / 696 miles) and its western section, from Thessaloniki to the Adriatic Sea, ran much further north than the modern road.

The project has raised concerns for the survival of nearby sites of ecological and archaeological significance. The construction of the Pindos stretch (i.e. from Grevena to Ioannina) was delayed due to environmental concerns about the destruction of the habitat of the endangered brown bear. However, a new routing was proposed in 2003, and this part was completed by April 2009.

In addition to the main highway, three perpendicular auxiliary highways are under construction connecting the highway to important cities, ports and airports of Macedonia.

History

Arachthos river bridge under construction in 2008

94 km of the motorway had been built as part of other motorways, before the official project began in 1994. Between 1997 and 2004, 393 km of motorway were built.[3] The main part of the project was completed by 30 May 2009. [4] A final bridge was opened on 10 May 2014 [5]

Exit list

The exits of the completed sections of the A2 motorway:[6]

Notes
      Under construction
      Planned
Regional unit Exit Name Destinations Notes/Also as
Evros Kipoi-İpsala border crossing D.110D110 E90 to  Turkey
eastern terminus of the A2
43 Ardani GR-51 E85 to  Bulgaria,  Turkey
E90
42 Alexandroupoli industrial area
E90
41 Alexandroupoli
E90
40 Makri
E90
39 Mesti GR-2 also to Sapes and Maronia
E90
Rhodope 38 Komotini east GR-2
Corridor IX to  Bulgaria
E90
37 Komotini west GR-2
E90
36 Iasmos
E90
Xanthi 35 Xanthi east GR-2
E90
34 Xanthi west
E90
Kavala 33 Chrysoupoli
E90
32A Perni
E90
32 Lefki GR-2
E90
31 Kavala east GR-12 Also to Drama
E90
30 Palio
E90
29 Kavala west
E90
28C Eleftheroupoli
E90
28B Moustheni
E90
28A GalypsosOrfani
E90
Serres 28 Strymonas GR-2 GR-59 to Serres, Drama
E90
Thessaloniki 27 Asprovalta
E90
26 Rentina
E90
25A Nymfopetra
E90
25 Profitis GR-2
E90
24 Lagadas A25 E79 to Serres,  Bulgaria
E90
23B Derveni
E90
23A Girokomeio
E90
23/K4 Efkarpia A24 to Thessaloniki, Nea Moudania
E90
22/K2 Diavata GR-2 E86 to Giannitsa, Edessa
E90
21/K1 Kalochori GR-1β
E90
20 Sindos south
E90
20A Chalastra
E90
19 Axios A1 E75 to the  Republic of North Macedonia
E90
18 Nea Malgara
E90 E75
Imathia 17 Kleidi A1 E75 to Athens
E90
16 Alexandreia
E90
15 Kouloura
E90
Mesi to Naousa, Skydra
Planned
14 Veria
E90
Kozani 13 Polymylos
E90
12 Kozani A27 E65 to the  Republic of North Macedonia
GR-3 E65 to Larissa
E90
11 Kalamia GR-20
E90
10 Siatista east
E90
9A Siatista west A29 to  Albania
E90
Grevena 9 Grevena east GR-15
E90
8B Grevena west GR-15
E90
8A Venetikos
E90
Kipoureio A3
Planned
8 Agia Paraskevi
E90
Ioannina 7 Metsovo GR-6 E92
E90
6A PeristeriChrysovitsa
E90 E92
6 ArachthosZagoria
E90 E92
5A Pamvotida
E90 E92
5 Ioannina GR-5 E951
E90 E92
4A Pedini A5 to Arta, Agrinio
E90 E92
4 Dodoni GR-17
E90 E92
Thesprotia 3 SelloiTyria
E90 E92
2 NeochoriParamythia GR-18
E90 E92
1B Vasilikos
E90 E92
1A IgoumenitsaLadochori
E90 E92
1 Igoumenitsa – Lykopodi GR-102 E55
E90 E92
Igoumenitsa port E90 E92 E55
ferry to Kerkyra,  Italy
western terminus of the A2

Treatment of 7000 high risk sites in Greece with EIB

In 2020, EIB and Egnatia Odos are committed to fund treatment of 7000 high risk sites in Greece.[7]

References

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