Three important projects, with a total budget of 568.2 million euros, which are on track for immediate implementation, were presented today to the Council of Ministers by the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Christos Staikouras.

Specifically, these are two water supply projects in Western Greece and Lesvos and an emblematic road project in Epirus.

These projects are:

1. The “Construction of Preveza – Arta – Lefkada Water Supply Projects”, with a total operating budget of 145 million euros.

The object of the project is the construction of a new water transport network, with a total length of 104 km, from the springs of Agios Georgios Louros to Lefkada. It is planned to cover the water supply needs of settlements in the Regional Units of Arta, Preveza, Etoloakarnania and Lefkada. The network will replace the existing outdated aqueduct, offering a rational distribution of water between the settlements and good quality drinking water, to more than 150,000 inhabitants of the above areas.

2. The “Construction of Tsiknia Dam, Lesvos Prefecture, Water Treatment Facilities and Networks”, with a total operational budget of 113.2 million euros.

The scope of the project concerns the completion of a self-contained and functionally independent water supply system with 24,000 m2/day of drinking water (at the 1st stage of project development) of the city of Mytilini and the settlements of Kalloni and Agia Paraskevi in ​​Lesvos, from the Tsiknia dam . It is estimated that the project will serve approximately 100,000 residents. Among the benefits of the project is the anti-flood protection of the plain of Kalloni.

During the 2nd phase of the works, expansion of the aqueduct and the Water Treatment Facilities is planned to cover the needs of additional settlements, such as the areas of Polychnitos, as well as the areas of Thermi, north of Mytilene. These needs must be explored further, in consultation with local agencies.

The above two projects have already been tendered, their approval has been approved and the pre-contractual audit by the Court of Auditors has been completed.

3. The “Extension of Ionian Road, section: Ioannina – Kakavia”, with a total operating budget of 310 million euros.

This road axis, 69.5 km long, is the westernmost vertical axis of the Egnatia Road and is part of the Trans-European Transport Network (Orient East Med). The project is the continuation of the Ionian Road from Ioannina to the Greek-Albanian border in the area of ​​Kakavia, crossing the prefecture of Ioannina.

“Ioannina Kakavia” improves the connectivity of the PE of Ioannina with the rest of Greece, contributing to its development, while it is the country’s main gateway from Albania and, by extension, the Western Balkans.

The project includes two subsections:

· Subsection 1: Ioannina – Kalpaki.

· Subsection 2: Kalpaki – Kakavia.

The new road axis will also connect the International Airport of Ioannina and through the Egnatia Road the Port of Igoumenitsa, as well as the Ioannina Airport with the main road axes.

In addition, the political leadership of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport presented a set of projects of lower budget, but of high social return, which have either been completed or are under construction throughout the Territory and concern: court and police buildings, school facilities, road connections and bridges, footbridges, port facilities, helipads, flood protection, storm water drainage, dams, irrigation networks and land improvement projects.