Eight public works projects, including the completion of a new stretch of highway at the notorious Maliakos Gulf in central Greece, are due to be completed by the end of the year, Infrastructure Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis has told the Greek daily Kathimerini, adding that future schemes would help tackle Greece’s high unemployment rate.
Chrysochoidis said that eight small and medium-sized works are due to be delivered in the next few months. They are: the last two sections of the Maliakos Gulf bypass, totalling more than 23 kilometres; a 14.5-kilometre road connecting the Kozani junction of the Egnatia Highway with the Niki border crossing; the completion of improvements to Igoumenitsa port, including a terminal building for cruise passengers; the 390-metre Tsakona bridge; a 3-kilometre road between Goritsa and Agria allowing cars to bypass Volos on their way to or from Pilio; a new 10-kilometre road in northern Crete allowing cars to bypass the busy seafront area at Aghios Nikolaos; a new airport in Siteia, Crete; and a new junction at Velestino in Thessaly.
“Public works were the first economic activity that collapsed as a result of the crisis,” said Chrysochoidis. “But, along with tourism, they are also the first that are leading the country’s recovery.”
The minister said the multi-million euro projects were just a precursor to other, bigger works to come.
“The completion of small and medium-sized works, along with the restarting of construction on major highway projects and new, major works that will be put to tender in the days to come, create jobs and lay the foundations for growth,” added Chrysochoidis.
The completion of the Maliakos Gulf stretch of the Athens-Thessaloniki highway, totalling 77.2 kilometres, will be a particular relief to government officials as the project has dragged on for almost a decade despite the fact that there have been numerous deaths on the current portion of the road.
So far 820 million euros has been spent on the scheme.
Source: ekathimerini