Highways in Greece

Highways in Greece are generally organized so that the odd numbered highways are of north-south alignment and even numbered highways are aligned east-west. However there are many exceptions.

The designation of some important roads of Greece as "national" was decided by a 1955 decree. A minister's decision of 1963 determined the numbering of these roads. In 1998 a survey of the National Statistic Authority of Greece defined some new national roads that were constructed after the 1963 decision. Motorway numbers are different and irrelevant to other highways' numbers. For example, Motorway 6 refers to Attiki Odos, while "GR-6" refers to a different road.

Motorways

• Motorway 1 (A1), a part of what is known as the "PAThE motorway" from the initials of the route: Piraeus – Athens – Thessaloniki – Evzoni (the border station with the Republic of Macedonia). It is the oldest and most important motorway, passing through many important regions of Greece, on a south-north direction. A few parts of this route are not up to motorway standards yet, but works are under way for upgrading. These parts are: Malian Gulf, and Tempe Valley. Currently (Summer 2008), works are in progress around the Malian Gulf, due to be completed in 2011. A large part of the route around the bay was completed in April 2008. At Tempe valley, works were due to start in 2008, to be completed around 2012. This part will include 11 km of tunnels, made mostly for environmental protection. Some upgrade to motorway needs to be done on the Thessaloniki – Evzoni part as well. The full length of this motorway will be around 553 km or 346 miles, including 14 km or 8.7 mi shared route with Via Egnatia. Note that until recently, the "P" in "PAThE" referred to Patras, but the Patra – Athens part is now named "motorway 8" and belongs to a different project.^[1][2]

• Motorway 2 (A2) is the Egnatia Odos or Via Egnatia, is a new motorway starting at the Igoumenitsa port and ending at the Turkish Border in Evros. It is known as the "horizontal road axis" of Greece, since it is the longest so far and has a west – east direction. It connects almost all of northern Greece and provides access to various other locations as well as international borders with various "vertical routes" that begin from various locations along the A2. Specifically, there are auxiliary routes to Albania, Bulgaria, and the main route leads to Turkey. The Republic of Macedonia is accessed through PAThE, as described above. Another auxiliary route runs close to the Evros river in the prefecture of the same name, reaching a point where Greece's , Turkey's and Bulgaria's borders meet. Some of those auxiliary routes are not motorways, but typical 2-lane highways, but of higher quality than similar highways in the rest of Greece. The project, including the auxiliary routes, was completed in 2009, and the length of the main route is 670 kilometres or 416 miles.
  • Motorway 25 is a branch of A2 and lies between Thessaloniki and Nea Moudania. It is also known as the Halkidiki Motorway. Its first 8 km/5 mi (from Thessaloniki exit till the Makedonia International Airport intersection) are a 6-lane divided motorway. The next 29 km/18 mi (until the Sozopolis intersection) are a 4-lane divided motorway and the last 17 km/11 mi (until Nea Moudania ) are a 2-lane undivided highway, under construction to be transformed into a 4-lane divided motorway. The first part of it is common with the Greek National Road 16.^[3][4][5]

• Motorway 3 (A3) is another one starting from Lamia (Motorway 1 intersection) and ending at Egnatia Odos, close to Grevena. It carries the E65. Construction started on June 2007, and it is expected to be complete after 5 years. It is also known as Central Greece Motorway, and its full length will be 175 kilometres or 109 miles.^[6][7]

• Motorway 4 (A4) is a planned motorway from Larissa to Trikala connecting the A1 with the A3 respectively. It will carry the E92 and it will be an upgrade of the existing Greek National Road 6 between those cities. Construction and completion dates remain unknown as of late 2010.^[8][9]

• Motorway 5 (A5), also known as Ionia Odos in Greek, or Via Ionia is another project currently under construction. It starts from Ioannina at the Egnatia Odos interchange, and ends at Rio, close to Patras, after crossing the Corinthian Gulf through the Rio-Antirrio bridge. There, it connects to the A8 and A9 (see below). It passes through most of western continental Greece, along the Ionian Sea, hence the name "Ionia Odos". Work on the majority of the highway began in spring 2006 and will span 6 years being completed by 2012. Some parts were previously completed: the Arta bypass and the Agrinio bypass.^[10][11]

• Motorway 6 (A6) is the urban motorway Attiki Odos. Its full length is 65 kilometres or 40.4 miles. It is planned to be extended to various directions, bringing its total length to 141 km or 88 miles. It has various auxiliary routes: "Motorway 64" which (in full length) is the route Rafina – southern suburbs, "Motorway 65" from Ano Liosia to Skaramangas (naval industrial area) and "Motorway 62" which is a small 6 km (4 mi) part connecting the main route to the Athens International Airport. The A64 is now complete only from Kessariani to Pallini, and the rest will start to be constructed in 2008, to be completed around 2011. It is commonly referred to as "Hymettus Ring", or "Imittos Ring". A small part of A65, remains still unconstructed, and it is yet unknown when it will be completed.^[12][13]

• The Motorway 7 (A7), known as the Moreas Motorway or Eastern Peloponnese Road starts from Corinth at the interchange with A8 and continues to Kalamata, passing through Tripoli. It replaced the old GR-7 as the main road. The section between Corinth and Tripoli was constructed between 1984 and 1990 and officially became part of the Greek road network in 1992; it has recently undergone extensive improvement to full motorway standards. The Tripoli-Megalopoli section has been completed while the remaining Megalopoli-Kalamata section is to be completed by the end of 2011. The Lefktro-Sparta branch is under construction and due to open in 2012. Its total length will be 205 kilometres or 127 miles.^[14][15]

• Motorway 8 (A8, part of Olympia Odos) will be the route from Athens to Patras. It will begin from Elefsina, at the interchange with Attiki Odos (A6) and will end in Patras. The Elefsina – Corinth part already exists, and the Corinth – Patra part begun to be constructed in 2008, and is due to be completed in 2012. It will mostly be a widening and general reconstruction of the Greek National Road 8A.^[16][17]

• Motorway 9 (A9, part of Olympia Odos) is the motorway that will start from Patras, continue to Pyrgos, to join with the A7 at Tsakona. The point where the numbers split, at Patras, is roughly where the interchange with the A5 will be. Construction starts along with the A8, but this will be completed on 2014. The A8 and A9 were also known as Northwestern Peloponese Motorway since the A8 runs along the north of the Peloponnese, and the A9 to the west.^[18][19]

• Motorway 90 (A90) is a temporary name for a motorway under construction in Crete. It is more widely known as North Road Axis of Crete (Greek: Βόρειος Οδικός Άξονας Κρήτης, BOAK). Certain parts have already been completed, as of summer 2007. Its full length will be 310 kilometres or 193 miles. Other sources claim it to be 250 km or 156 mi.^[20][21]

National roads

• Greek National Road 1: Athens – Lamia – Larissa – Thessaloniki – Evzonoi - Republic of Macedonia, replaced by Motorway 1
• Greek National Road 2: Albania - Krystallopigi – Florina – Edessa – Thessaloniki – Kavala – Xanthi – Komotini – Alexandroupoli – Feres - Turkey (runs parallel to Egnatia Odos from Thessaloniki to Alexandoupoli)
• Greek National Road 3: Elefsina – Thiva – Livadeia - Lamia – Farsala – Larissa – Elassona – Kozani – Florina – Niki - Republic of Macedonia
• Greek National Road 4: Kozani – Veria – Chalkidona
• Greek National Road 5: Antirrio – Agrinio - Amfilochia – Arta – Ioannina
• Greek National Road 6: Igoumenitsa – Ioannina – Metsovo - Trikala – Larissa – Volos (runs parallel to Egnatia Odos from Igoumenitsa to Metsovo)
• Greek National Road 7: Corinth – Argos – Tripoli – Megalopoli – Kalamata
• Greek National Road 8: Athens – Corinth – Aigio - Patras old road
• Greek National Road 8A: Athens – Corinth – Patras new road (partly motorway)
• Greek National Road 9: Patras – Pyrgos – Methoni
• Greek National Road 9A: Kalo Nero – Allagi, connecting GR-9 with GR-7
• Greek National Road 12: Thessaloniki – Serres – Drama – Kavala
• Greek National Road 13: Elassona – Katerini
• Greek National Road 14: Drama – Xanthi
• Greek National Road 15: Kalambaka – Grevena – Neapoli – Kastoria – junction with GR-2
• Greek National Road 16: Thessaloniki – Stratoni
• Greek National Road 17:
• Greek National Road 18: Preveza – Igoumenitsa
• Greek National Road 20: Ioannina – Konitsa – Neapoli – Kozani
• Greek National Road 21: Preveza – west of Arta up to GR-5
• Greek National Road 22: Kakavia (Albanian border) – Kalpaki (junction with GR-20
• Greek National Road 24:
• Greek National Road 25:
• Greek National Road 26: Elassona – junction with GR-15 north of Kalampaka
• Greek National Road 27: Amfissa – Lamia
• Greek National Road 28:
• Greek National Road 29:
• Greek National Road 30: Arta – Trikala – Karditsa – Pharsala – Volos
• Greek National Road 31: Patras – Kalavrita
• Greek National Road 33: Patras – Panopoulo – Klitoria
• Greek National Road 34:
• Greek National Road 34a:
• Greek National Road 35: Zakynthos - Keri
• Greek National Road 36: Mytilene – Kalloni
• Greek National Road 38: Agrinio – Karpenisi – Lamia
• Greek National Road 39: Tripoli – Sparta – Gytheio
• Greek National Road 40:
• Greek National Road 42: Leukada – Vonitsa – Amfilochia
• Greek National Road 44: Thiva – Halkida – Karystos
• Greek National Road 48: Antirio – Nafpaktos – Galaxidi – Levadeia
• Greek National Road 50: Argostoli – Sámi (in the island of Cephalonia)
• Greek National Road 51: Alexandroupoli – Orestiada – Turkish border near Edirne/ Bulgarian Border S of Svilengrad.
• Greek National Road 53: Mega Dereio – Metaxades – Didymoteicho.
• Greek National Road 57: Drama – Bulgarian border (Exochi).
• Greek National Road 63: Serres – Bulgarian Border (Promachonas, Kulata).
• Greek National Road 65: Thessaloniki – Kilkis – Loutra (junction with GR-57
• Greek National Road 66: Nemea – Levidi
• Greek National Road 70: Corinth – Epidavros – Nafplio – Argos
• Greek National Road 74: Pyrgos – Olympia – Tripoli
• Greek National Road 76: Olympia – Andritsaina – Megalopoli
• Greek National Road 77: Halkida – Istiaia (northern Euboea)
• Greek National Road 79: Malakasa (junction with GR-1) – Oropos
• Greek National Road 82: Pylos – Kalamata – Sparta
• Greek National Road 83: Gerakas – Marathonas – Aghios Stefanos (junction with GR-1)
• Greek National Road 85: Varkiza – Artemis(Loutsa)
• Greek National Road 86: Gytheio – Monemvasia
• Greek National Road 89: Glyka Nera – Lavrio
• Greek National Road 90: Kissamos – Chania – Rethymnon – Heraclion – Aghios Nikolaos – Sitia
• Greek National Road 91: Vouliagmeni – Sounio
• Greek National Road 95: Rhodes – Lindos
• Greek National Road 97: Rethimno – Timbaki-Ierapetra-Sitia
• Greek National Road 99: Heraklio – GR-97 (50 km/31 mi west of Timbaki)

Correlation with European routes

This is a list of European routes that shows which parts of them run through Greece.

Major routes:

• E55: GR-18, Preveza – Rio – Patras, Patras – Pyrgos – Kalamata through GR-9, GR-9A and GR-7
• E65: Medžitlija-Níki (border with the Republic of Macedonia) – Florina – Kozani – Elassona – Larissa – Lamia through GR-3, Lamia – Amfissa – Galaxidi through GR-27, Galaxidi – Antirio through GR-48, Antirio – Rio – Corinth through GR-8A, Corinth – Tripoli through motorway, Tripoli – Kalamata through GR-7, Kissamos – Chania through GR-90
• E75: border with the Republic of Macedonia – Thessaloniki – Athens through GR-1, Chania – Aghios Nikolaos through GR-90
• E79: Bulgarian border – Serres through GR-57, Serres – Thessaloniki through GR-12
• E85: GR-51
• E86: Albanian border at Kristalopigi – Florina – Edessa – Gefyra (west of Thessaloniki), through GR-2
• E90: Egnatia Odos or Via Egnatia, Igoumenitsa - Thessaloniki - border with Turkey
• E92: GR-6
• E94: Attiki Odos and Athens – Corinth through GR-8A

Other routes:

• E853: Kakavia (Albanian border) – junction with GR-20
• E951: GR-5
• E952: Preveza-Amfilochia partly through GR-42, Amfilochia – Karpenisi – Lamia partly through GR-38
• E961: GR-39
• E962: Elefsina – Thiva through GR-3

Note: when certain highways that carry European routes are replaced with motorways, the European routes will be re-assigned to the new motorways. For example, GR-7 carries the E65 from Tripoli to Kalamata. When the Corinth – Tripoli – Kalamata motorway is complete, E65 will run through it and not through GR-7 anymore.

See also

• Transportation in Greece
• Greece
• European routes
• List of roads and highways

References

External links

• A greek motorways fan page