Joining the SPAIN of the extension of the Ionian Road and in particular the Ioannina-Kakavia section, announced on Wednesday the Deputy Minister of Economy and National Finance, Nikos Papathanasis.
In accordance with the relevant law issued by the General Secretariat for the Management of Sectoral Programmes of the European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Social Fund, the project “Extension of the Ionian Road, Section: Ioannina – Kakavia” is included in the sectoral programme of Ministry of Economy and National Finance “Transport 2021-2027”, with the Special Public Works Service Construction and Maintenance of Transport as the beneficiary Infrastructure and a budget of 289,257,632.88 euros.
The project concerns its construction road axis Ioannina – Kakavia from the junction of the Ionian Road with Egnatia (A/K Egnatia) to Kakavia and the Greek-Albanian border and includes two subsections:
- Subsection 1: Ioannina – Kalpaki. Starting at the irregular interchange of Egnatia and ending at the irregular interchange of Kalpaki and a total length of 46.40 kilometers on a new alignment. Six unequal interchanges are included in the subsection.
- Subsection 2: Kalpaki – Kakavia. Starting from the end of the Kalpaki irregular junction and beyond the Kakavia border station and for a total length of 23.11 kilometers, where the upgrading of the existing road is planned. Six unequal interchanges are included in the subsection.
The law also includes all necessary support actions: expropriations, relocations – restoration of OKO networks and connections to them and archaeological research and work.
With the completion of the project, it is expected that accessibility and connectivity problems of geographically isolated and inaccessible areas of Ioannina PE, such as:
- The load of the city of Ioannina with heavy vehicle traffic as well as through traffic entering the wider urban fabric of the city.
- The increased risk to road safety due to the transition from a modern high-speed and long motorway, such as Ionia Odos, to a semi-urban road network with at-grade interchanges.
- The difficulty of accessibility of the wider area of the Ioannina PE to important centers of health services, such as the University Hospital of Ioannina, of education, such as the University of Ioannina, and of work, such as the Industrial Area.
Furthermore, the expected benefits of project implementation include:
- Increasing accessibility of Ioannina PE to the rest of the country and to central transport hubs – e.g. Port of Igoumenitsa – in combination with Olympia Road, Egnatia Road, PATHE and the E65 Central Greece motorways, planned to operate in their entirety from 2029.
- Containing population decline through the previously unexplored potential for local and regional development.
- Strengthening PE’s historical, cultural and religious capital of Ioannina, resulting in an increase in national and international tourism.
- Stimulating trade and export activity by improving connections with the Western Balkans at the Kakavia border station.
- Strengthening the accessibility of goods and especially of VI.PE. Ioannina, resulting in reduced transportation time of goods and facilitating supply chain management.
- The increase in regional GDP and employment in Ioannina PE both during construction and during its operation.