In the last three decades, the Lamia-Itea-Antirrio road has been one of the main requests of the agencies of Central Greece. In fact, the Bralos to Amfissa section was the dominant, but at the same time, the most difficult section as it passes through the mountain mass, where especially in the winter months the problems become insurmountable.

“Decades now there have been studies examining alternative options, small or larger interventions” underlines the president of the TEE Eastern Continent Thanasis Lykopoulos speaking to APE-MPE.

According to Mr. Lykopoulos “in the past they also talked about partial improvements to the existing layout, they also talked about small adjustments at critical points only. However, everyone assessed that serious interventions should be made on this road axis, something which was finally adopted by the competent ministry”, underlines Mr. Lykopoulos, speaking to APE-MBE, bringing to the fore the decades of consultations for the construction of this particular difficult road axis.

“When in the spring summer of 2027, the construction of the road will be completed then there will be a very big breath for the people who work in freight transport to get from Patras to Lamia and then to Northern Greece” are the words he says to APE-MBE o Dimitris Diamantidis truck driver, who after Patras – Agona uses this road to reach Central and Northern Greece.

“It is not a simple project, nor certainly a project of local importance. This section of the national road connects all the corners of the country” he notes speaking to APE-MPE the regional governor of Sterea Fanis Spanos underlining the evolution of transport and even the tourist stream on the Delphi – Kalambaka axis as he says “with the completion of the axis, new conditions are created in the wider area, as it joins the Ionian road with PATHE and E65”.

Since the beginning of the 90s, all the agencies of Central Greece have been trying to highlight this specific axis, as dominant and necessary. When the completion of PATHE was progressing and especially the promotion of the construction of the E65, the issue was raised not to build it with national road characteristics but to make local improvements as it was considered a competitive road axis. At that time, all the agencies requested from the then government and the competent ministries that the axis Lamia – Itea – Antirrio, part of which is Bravos-Amfissa, be expressly excluded so that it can be built and the possibilities are not limited. In fact, an explicit reference has been made to the E65 concession contract ratified by the Parliament.

The section from Bralos to Amfissa has a construction horizon until the summer of 2027, while in his recent visit the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called on the contractors to hurry up so that the project can be delivered in the early spring of 2027.

In this period, preliminary work is being developed to create access to the points where the tunnels will start so that the start of the construction of the tunnels can be done simultaneously from several points and thus return the progress of the project.

What is important is that a common ground now seems to have been found so that within the next two or three months and before the start of tunnel boring there will be changes to the design for both safety and traffic reasons, instead of a tunnel with two traffic lanes to become two tunnels, i.e. one tunnel per traffic direction.

In fact, this possibility was discussed on the sidelines of the visit of Kyriakos Mitsotakis to the project facilities and everything converges that the specific modification of the study is expected in the first months of 2024. The project is financed by NSRF 2021-2027 funds and is one of the first road projects which are part of the new programming period.

The Brallos – Amfissa road project is one of the three major projects that the AVAX Group signed in 2023 and have entered the construction phase. Work is being carried out on two (Thessaloniki and Komotini) of the three new public hospitals sponsored by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation with a budget of 443 million euros, as well as on the electricity generation station (power of 1750 MW) in the Deva region of Romania with a budget of 673.5 million euros.

The Brallos – Amfissa road has been classified since 1996 in the secondary national road network and has four distinct sections. The two are included in the specific contract, the third has been built and one more is a separate contract whose construction has started.

1st Subsection: Bralos – Beginning of the Gravia bypass (X.T. 0+000 – X.T. 7+300) starts from Bralos and reaches the beginning of the Gravia bypass and is 7.3 kilometers long.

2nd Subsection: The bypass of Gravia (X.Th. 7+300 – X.Th. 9+300) 2 km long which has been constructed.

3rd Subsection: . The part of the axis from X.Th. 9+300 until I.K. Bauxite Mines in CH.Th. 14+000 has been started with a different contract.

4th Subsection: I.K. Bauxite Mines (not included) – Amfissa (C.Th. 14+000 – C.Th. 30+700). It is the last section of approximately 17 km, included in this contract and starts from the level node of the Bauxite Mines and reaches Amfissa. Two tunnels are planned to be built in this section, one 2,225 m long and the other 2,485 m long, while you are studying to make the tunnels twin for safety reasons. A large number of level interchanges, 7 bridges as well as a network of parallel and vertical roads will be constructed to connect the existing network. It also includes works for the construction of all kinds of technical works (culverts, bridges, tunnels, retaining walls, reinforced embankment), road paving and asphalting works, securing and marking works, street lighting and tunnel works and other works that are necessary for the operation of the road, such as construction and installation of curbs, paving, drainage works.

“This road axis is not only an alternative route as some might define it, but it is the main axis that unites Western and Central Greece and now brings many areas of Fthiotida and Fokida out of isolation” he emphasizes speaking to APE- Regional Governor Fanis Spanos, MP. In fact, it combines the specific project with the actions that are being promoted so that another road axis from Lamia to Karpenissi with the perspective of Karpenissi Agrinio is auctioned to start its construction from Makrakomi to the Tymfristos tunnel.