Greek National Road 8A
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Greek National Road 8A, sometimes Greek National Road 8 is a toll road running from Kifissou avenue, in Athens up to the northeast of Patras. It is a motorway from Kifissou avenue up to Corinth, for about 85km and the rest is an undivided highway with just one lane per direction. The total length is 215 km, but for the westbound lanes at the 207th km it intersects the Patras Bypass. It is signed as E94 from Kifissou Ave in Athens to southwest of Corinth, then it becomes part of E65 from Corinth to Rhion interchange, and E55 from Rhion to north of Patras.
The future high-speed railway will run almost entirely from the Corinth Interchange in the west up to the junction with the Attiki Odos where it is within for the rest of its length.
[edit] Construction
The section Athens - Corinth was first opened in November of 1962 (except the section Megara - Kineta {Kakia Skala pass} opened in late 1964 with motorway characteristics). The section Corinth - Patras was first opened in December of 1969 as a 14m width undivided road (except the Aegion bypass, opened in 1973 with motorway characteristics). The E94 part (Athens-Corinth) was upgraded to motorway standards from 1993 to 1997 (the section from Megara to Elefsina and Kineta to the Corinth Canal in 1994, the 2 km section west of Megara in 1995 and the section from the Corinth Canal to near Ancient Corinth in 1997). In Kakia Skala pass, a network of 5 tunnels and several bridges was constructed between 1999 and 2006, converting what was a particularly hazardous and narrow road section to a modern motorway with 3 lanes per direction.
A large number of reconstruction and renovation projects were carried out at various parts of the 8A in the 1990s. Additionaly, a major overhaul of the 8A is currently in the planning stages as of 2006, which is expected to upgrade its entire length to modern motorway standards, mostly by widening already constructed sections.Its construction is expected to begin in 2006 or early 2007, barring possible legal problems.
[edit] Route Overview
Here are the complete listings of marking of the 8A, Patras-Corinth, Corinth-Athens Road, also known as Athens-Patras New National Road. Posts are marked going west. The markings here are not by exit numbers:
| Kilometre | Features, Interchanges, Junctions | |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | easternmost point of E94 | |
| 5 | Thevon Avenue Interchange | |
| 27 | Thebes-Eleuthriae Interchange, now cloverleaf | |
| 28 | Athens Tollway (spur) junction, opened in 2004 | |
| 30 | Eleusis toll booth | |
| 35 | Neos Peramos Interchange | |
| 42 | Megara/Old National Road (GR8) Interchange (westbound cloverleaf) | |
| 43 | Megara Rest Area, opened 1999 | |
| 44 | Megara-Pachi Interchange (cloverleaf) | |
| 46 | easternmost point of Kakia Skala | |
| 52 | Westernmost point of Kakia Skala | |
| 52 | Old Kineta Interchange (closed 2001) | |
| 54 | New Kineta Interchange (cloverleaf), opened 1995 | |
| 57 | Attica-Corinthia prefectural (departmental/provincial) boundary | |
| 62 | Aghioi Theodoroi Toll Interchange | |
| 68 | north of the refinery | |
| 72 | Isthmia Toll booth | |
| 73 | view of Kalamaki | |
| 74 | Corinth-Loutraki (Old GR-9) interchange (westbound), old toll booth | |
| 75 | Epidaurus (GR-70) Interchange | |
| 77 | underpass | |
| 78 | West Corinth-Examili Interchange | |
| 80 | Tripoli (GR-7 E65) Junction, end of E94 | |
| 82 | Argos, Nauplion-Lechaeum (GR-7) Interchange | |
| 90 | Corinth rest area (eastbound) | |
| 91 | Corinth Toll booth or station | |
| 102 | South Kiato Rest Area | |
| 106 and 107 | 2 overpasses | |
| 108 | Elissus/Elissos River | |
| 109 | Kiaton-Stymphalia Interchange | |
| 110 | Kiaton Rest Area (westbound) | |
| 125 | Xylokastron-Trikkala Interchange | |
| 146 | Parking area (both directions) | |
| 147 | Akrata-Aigiera Interchange | |
| 154 | ELPA Rest Area | |
| 158 | Kalavrita-Diacopton(um) Interchange | |
| 171 | Texaco Bon Voyage sign (torn down) | |
| 172 | Aegion-Pterion-Kalavrita Interchange | |
| 173 | GR31 overpass | |
| 174 | Aegion Rest Area (Shell gas station/gasbar) | |
| 175 | West Aegion | |
| 177 | West Aegion/Old GR-9 Interchange, (eastbound, partial) (cloverleaf) | |
| 181 | Longos-Selimantika-Old GR-8 Interchange | |
| 182 | view of Longos | |
| 183 | view of Seliamantika | |
| 184 | Low railway bridge | |
| 187 | Achaea and the Peloponnese's Northernmost point | |
| 205 | Rhion Toll booth or station | |
| 206 | Rhion Junction, access to Rio-Antirio bridge , Rio and the old road |
|
| 207 | Patras Interchange, also access to Panachaiko , access to Patras By-Pass, opened 2003 |
|
| 209 to 211 (2 to 4) | Patras Tunnel | |
| 209 | University of Patras-Proasteia Junction | |
| 212 | Pyrgos-Port of Patras Junction (opened 1996) | |
| 213 | Aretha Street Jct. (Skiessa-Hagyia) (former fourth route) | |
| 214 | Amerikis Street Jct. (fmr. third route) | |
| 215 | Panepistemeiou Street | |
| 216 | Downtown Patras |
There are 4 toll stations in the 8A at this time: Eleusis Toll booth, Isthmia toll booth, Corinth toll Booth, and Rhion toll booth at the 205th km. Before the completion of the Rhion-Antirrion Bridge, this part of the highway was the only one connecting the Peloponnese to the rest of Greece. The motorway part has 3 lanes per direction. Rest areas are in Megara, Corinth, between Corinth and Kiato, the old ELPA about 10 km west of Aigeira and Aigio.
The non-motorway part from Corinth to Patras is considered to be one of the most dangerous roads in Greece at this time. It has dangerous curves, and many drivers perform dangerous overpasses, which causes a significant number of accidents.
[edit] Patras Bypas
The bypass of Patras is a freeway that runs from the Mintilogli exit (GR-9), 8.8 km S of Patras up to the Patras exit, nearly 7 km N of the city.
Planning of the bypass began in the 1980s, but construction didn't begin until the 1990s, in th region between Roitika and Mintilogli. Construction reached Dimokratias Street (GR-33) in 1992, the Glafkos river in about the mid-1990s, the tunnels in the late-1990s, and in 2001.In October of 2002, the bypass was opened to traffic. As a result, traffic in downtown Patras was significantly decreased.
It was closed for a few days a month after its opening as a result of a mudslide, but was reopened after repairs. The bypass has five interchanges (four full and one partial with a northbound exit at the beginning .)
GR-9 for southbound lanes of the bypass, (N) indicates northbound lanes and (S) indicates southbound lanes on the bottom part of the chart.
| Order (south) | Junction |
|---|---|
| Patras Bypass | |
| 1 | 4 tunnels |
| EXIT 2 (S)/4 (N): | Egklykada Interchange |
| EXIT 3 | Glafkos Interchange |
| EXIT 4 (S)/2 (N): | Ovrya Interchange, access to GR-33 |
| EXIT 1 (N): | Mintilogli Interchange, access to Patras (N), access to GR-9 (S) |
See also: List of Greek roads
| Roads in Greece |
|---|
| GR-1 | GR-2 | GR-3 | GR-4 | GR-5 | GR-6 | GR-7 | GR-8 | GR-8A | GR-9 | GR-9A | GR-12 | GR-13 | GR-14 | GR-15 | GR-16 | GR-18 | GR-20 | GR-21 | GR-22 | GR-26 | GR-27 | GR-30 | GR-31 | GR-33 | GR-38 | GR-39 | GR-42 | GR-44 | GR-48 | GR-50 | GR-51 | GR-52 | GR-55 | GR-57 | GR-59 | GR-61 | GR-63 | GR-65 | GR-66 | GR-67 | GR-70 | GR-74 | GR-76 | GR-77 | GR-79 | GR-82 | GR-83 | GR-85 | GR-86 | GR-89 | GR-90 | GR-91 | GR-95 | GR-97 | GR-99 |
