Around 3.8 billion euros is the total budget for projects planned for Crete and include the Northern Road Axis (BOAK), Kastelli airport, irrigation projects, construction of schools and courts.
At the new Heraklion airport, with a budget of 500 million, around 40% of the works have been carried out, work has started on the two small sections of BOAK, while the remaining projects are in the tender process and there is no safe estimate of when its implementation will begin.
According to the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Christos Staikouras, who was in Crete in the previous days, “anyone going from Heraklion to Agios Nikolaos or the new airport will discover that there are many fronts – construction sites”. He committed to many other fronts in the next period and also to accelerating the construction of projects.
The total budget of projects in Crete reaches the above mentioned value mainly because of BOAK, one of the largest projects that will ever be carried out in the country (a 294 km highway that crosses 8 municipalities and the 4 prefectures of the island).
Three different projects
In particular, the total budget of BOAK is 2.597 billion. and is divided into three different projects.
The largest, Chania – Heraklion (Peninsula), with a budget of 2.057 billion, will be implemented by the concession method. The (temporary) contractor is GEK Terna and according to the Minister of Infrastructure, the competition for the independent engineer is ongoing. At the same time, GEK Terna presents the information necessary for its recognition as the final bidder. The Audit of the Court of Auditors and other procedures will follow, although it is not known when they will be completed. Financing from the Recovery Fund of 200 million euros is planned.
The second section of BOAK Hersonissos – Neapoli (22.4 km) with a budget of 350 million is a PPP project, implemented by the consortium GEK Terna – Intrakat – Actor Concessions and the third, Neapolis – Agios Nikolaos, with a budget of 190 million it is performed as a public work by Aktor. For these two sections of BOAK, based on recent statements by the leadership of the Ministry of Infrastructure, construction work has begun on the sections whose studies have been finalized.
The remaining projects designed for Crete include the PPP “Use of the Water Potential of the Tavronitis River” with a tender budget of around 267 million euros. A competition is underway to prepare themes for phase B1 of the competitive dialogue. The maturity of the project is pending with the preparation of studies, for issuing the Environmental Conditions Approval Decision (AEPO) which is a condition for the presentation of binding proposals from participants.
Also included are complementary and reinforcement projects for the Bramiano Dam (budget 53.5 million), the construction of the Platy Dam and Study of the Gerakari Irrigation Networks in Rethymnon (160 million), the construction of a New Passenger Station in Port of Souda (13 million), the creation of school infrastructure (19.65 million), the European School of Education in Heraklion (35.42 million), the construction and modernization of courts (70 million) and the restoration of damage to bridges in BOAK as part of road safety projects on the existing axis (10 cm).
With regard to the courts, this is in particular the project “Construction of the Heraklion Court and reconstruction of the Rethymnon Court, its maintenance and management”, through PPP, worth 70 million euros. The Building Infrastructure Department announced an International Competition on 11/24/2023. By Ministerial Decision, dated 16.04.2024, 5 companies (GEK Terna, Aktor Parachoresis, Intrakat, Avax and Metlen – ATESE) qualified for the 2nd Phase of the competition.
Meanwhile, GEK Terna was yesterday declared by the Ministry of Rural Development as a temporary contractor for the PPP project “Lasithi Prefecture’s Chochlakia Reservoir and Associated Projects – Lasithi Prefecture’s Ag. Ioannis Ierapetra Dam and Basic Water Utilization Projects for Irrigation”, with a budget of 74.5 million euros.