Thessaloniki has recently been living in the light of a city “under construction”. Infrastructure projects, which were in progress, are slowly being completed and others which were “in the drawer” for a long time are taking their turn. There are many discussions around these infrastructure projects, especially from the citizens themselves, who are also the ones who live the developments every day.

Recently, an increasingly frequent topic of these discussions is the so-called “FlyOver” for which the dissatisfaction of some of the residents of Thessaloniki is evident. The highlight was the Municipal Council of Thessaloniki, last week, in which the tones were raised. Also present at the Municipal Council was Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, responsible for Infrastructure, Nikos Tachiaos, A Thessalonian himself, and a topographical engineer.

But what is FlyOver and why the tension? What measures are the authorities taking to deal with the disturbance experienced by the residents and visitors of the city? As Mr. Tahiaos stated to APE/MPE, in response to the reactions that sometimes intensify:

“As the Metro is being completed, the FlyOver is now the most important traffic intervention currently taking place in Thessaloniki. The main purpose is to provide a way out to the Eastern Ring Road, where traffic was suffocating between the junctions with the least possible burden in the Sheikh-Soo Forest, and to provide commuters with safety and quality throughout the length of the Ring Road for the next construction 26 years.

I understand, of course, that at this stage, citizens cannot see the benefits of the project, which are expected to come in a little more than three years, but they are left with the disruption caused to their commuting. It’s natural!

At the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, the priority is to facilitate, through legislative interventions and the allocation of resources, the authorities responsible for decisions and interventions in the city, in this case the Region of Central Macedonia and the municipalities of the urban complex, to offer relief solutions to problem. And that is why we are in constant consultation with them, through the mechanism we formed together. This does not mean that the chances of congestion on the Regional during peak hours will be completely amortized, but it is certain that interventions in any incidents will be more immediate and the movement of emergency vehicles safe.

Beyond that, we have to separate the de facto dissatisfaction that has been created among the citizens who continue to suffer, despite the fact that there is a reduction in delays, from the organized reactions. In these, when they are not due to personal motivations, I recognize an overt political background and indeed with the same places prominent that have huge responsibilities for the delays of the projects in Thessaloniki.

Unfortunately, it is not only the parties of populism and the extremes, which have been led to choose the reaction against the FlyOver to cover what a deficit of an essential political discourse. Even PASOK decided, through the mouth of its President, to identify with the most extreme views for the cancellation of the project, even adopting the cheapest populist argumentation. It is a pity! He slips into his old self in the 1980s, when he had stopped all public works, skipping a stop – even for pretexts – in the modernization period of the second half of the 90s, when he decided that without them, Greece was left behind in development.

For our part, we welcome the seriousness that seems to be displayed by the local authorities, so that the city understands the importance of this intervention and the availability to contribute to the end of a project that should not have the fate, nor the Thessaloniki Metro that was delayed without precedent and of course, neither of the submarine artery that was driven to a wreck.

In any case, the government does not have the slightest thought of temporarily suspending or abandoning the project. As far as it is concerned, its commitments to complete the project by May 2027 are valid.”

The FlyOver, or more correctly the Upgrading of Eastern Regional Thessaloniki, of which the FlyOver is also a part, is a visionary solution, and the most sustainable alternative, to the traffic problem which has been starting to appear in the city for years and which is certain, after studies, that in three years from today it would have reached its final point”.

The total cost of the project in present value will reach €378,000,000, which will be financed by the Private Partnership “Kedrinos Lofos”. It is, in other words, a Public and Private Sector partnership project, while an international competition was held to select the contractor. The total duration of the Partnership Agreement is set at 30 years. In this context, “Kedrinos Lofos” undertakes the construction of the project for the first four years and the operation and maintenance of the entire Peripheral for 26 years.

Its main features, among others, are:

  • 12 km of upgraded road axis with 3 lanes in each direction,
  • 8 km of elevated new road, 4 of which will be a continuous bridge – the so-called FlyOver – with 2 lanes in each direction
  • construction of 2 pedestrian bridges,
  • interventions in 8 uneven junctions and construction of 2 new ones,
  • addition of LEA,
  • modernized drainage, sewerage and street lighting systems, etc.

Furthermore, the project includes the construction of a Regional Road Management Center, maintenance of 11 existing culverts, extension of another 15 existing culverts and creation of 10 new ones.

Practically, these features are translated as a way out of the ever-increasing traffic of Thessaloniki and will upgrade the quality of life of its citizens.

1. Reducing travel time in all parts of the Inner Regional Thessaloniki.

2. Doubling the capacity of the existing road to 10,000 cars per hour in each direction and improving traffic conditions for pedestrians.

3. Reducing accidents and contributing to the maintenance and operation of the perimeter road network.

4. Reducing vehicle operating costs, and

5. Improving connectivity with key points inside and outside the urban fabric and ensuring quick and above all safe access to PATHE, Egnatia Odos, Macedonia Airport and Halkidiki.

Finally, FlyOver’s role in reducing our environmental footprint in the city is also very critical. As it will serve twice as many vehicles as it does now, the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and noise pollution will be among the biggest benefits that the city’s residents and visitors will enjoy from May 14, 2027, when the delivery date is set. project.