EKPPT motorway

Olympia Odos, a concession company led by VINCI Concessions, in association with the German company HOCHTIEF PPP Solutions and three Greek construction companies (Aktor Concessions, J&P-Avax, and Athena), has won the largest motorway-concession contract ever awarded in Greece. To achieve this major project successfully, the concession company subcontracted the infrastructure design and construction mandate to us. In efforts to improve traffic conditions in Greece, the country’s minister for infrastructure and transport appointed us to design, build, renovate, and operate (for a 30-year period) 202 kilometres of toll motorway linking Athens and Patras. More specifically, the project called for designing, building, operating, and maintaining a new motorway with a dual 2-lane configuration between Corinth and Patras (120 km) and Patras and Tsakona (163.7 km) in the Peloponnese. The project also included upgrading, operating, and maintaining the existing dual 3-lane motorway connecting Elefsina to Corinth (64 km) as well as the Patras bypass (18.3 km).

BACKGROUND

This motorway was considered a required public utility and a priority investment for the trans-European transport network. That is why its development was supported both by the European Commission and the European Investment Bank.
The project, located in southwest Greece, was vital for the country. In this region, where the average income is less than 75% of the average income in Europe, this project reflected a willingness to develop the area’s economy. Investment in these areas is essential, especially in transport and other vital economic infrastructure.

TECHNICAL OVERVIEW

The three leading issues in this project were quality, safety, and environmental protection. Accordingly, following a study of the environmental impact of each motorway segment, studies on the effects of pollution due to traffic (carbon dioxide emissions) were also carried out. These studies showed that this infrastructure’s contribution to global warming was minimal. In addition, during the project design, construction, and implementation phases, multiple additional measures were taken to improve the infrastructure’s environmental performance.
The structure was designed to enable quick intervention by security and firefighting services.
The project included other challenges, including maintaining traffic on much of the motorway network during construction, factoring in the presence of several seismic faults, preserving the archeological value of the grounds, and dealing with the proximity of a new railway line leading to Patras.
Another key aspect of this mandate was its international scope. The project was conducted in Greece by a consortium made up of builders from France, Germany, and Greece. Multiculturalism was present at all levels of this project. Each company brought its know-how and distinct perspective in a cooperative endeavour.

In Greece, both residents and visitors are glad of improvements to transport infrastructure resulting from many projects, including this new motorway. 

IMPACT

The project enhances road connections between the western and northern parts of the Peloponnese, on the one hand, and in the region of Athens and more northerly areas in Greece, on the other. The new infrastructure connects to the Rion-Antirion Bridge (thanks to the Corinth-Patras section).
The infrastructure  also improves traffic conditions, including shorter travel times and fewer road accidents. To be more precise, the new motorway reduces average travel time by 20 to 40%.
In addition, the motorway has a direct economic impact on the regions it runs through and help to improve daily living conditions for the population in these areas, which are remote from the large urban centres and their administrative, economic, and medical services.
Finally, this structure is part of the new generation of motorways: faster, safer, and more environmentally responsible.

Project participants

Client
Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport & Networks

Project management
Apion Kleos Concession Company S.A.

Key figures

Implementation dates
August 2008 to March 2017

Excavation
14 million m3 (38,715 m3/km)

Backfill
14.6 million m3 (40,057 m3/km)

Concrete
1.7 million m3

Maliakos-Kleidi motorway

Maliakos-Kleidi

Découvrir