Kentriki Odos has undertaken planning, construction, exploitation, operation, and maintenance of the ‘Aftokinitodromos Kentrikis Ellados – E65’ Concession project.
This 238.5 km project is of strategic importance for Greece’s growth and concerns the management and maintenance of the section of the ATHE motorway from Skarfia to Raches-Fthiotida (total length of 57 km), as well as the construction of Aftokinitodromos Kentrikis Ellados (E65 – Central Greece Motorway), which starts from the semi-I/C by the same name on the A.Th.E.Add a new co motorway at the Thermopyles I/C, and reaches Egnatia Odos at the I/C 15 km west of Grevena. (total length 181.5 km).
The section of the motorway from Skarfia to Raches went into operation in 2015 and solved the major issue of road safety on the ‘Horseshoe of Maliakos’. Drivers can now use a modern, high specification motorway with 2 traffic lanes per direction, plus the Emergency Lane, three (3) twin-branch tunnels, five (5) viaducts, and high-spec infrastructure.
Aftokinitodromos Kentrikis Ellados (E65) has been built entirely on a new alignment, creating a strategic north–south transport corridor that effectively connects Eastern and Western Greece. Designed in accordance with the latest national and European standards, the motorway places strong emphasis on environmental stewardship, road safety, driving comfort, and the efficient use of time and fuel.
Stretching 182.1 km from its interchange with the PATHE (A1) Motorway (at km 206.5) to its junction with the Egnatia Motorway near Grevena, the E65 features two traffic lanes in each direction, along with a dedicated Emergency Lane (hard shoulder), providing the capacity and level of service expected of a modern motorway.
Now fully operational, the E65 is transforming transport across Western Thessaly and Western Macedonia, strengthening regional connectivity and supporting trade, tourism, and agricultural development. The motorway links the Port of Igoumenitsa—Greece’s western gateway to Central Europe—with the Port of Volos, facilitating both passenger and freight transport between Greece and Western and Central Europe. It also reduces the overall journey time from the Port of Piraeus to the Western Balkans by approximately two hours.
The completion of the E65 has significantly improved travel times across mainland Greece. The journey from Lamia to the Egnatia Motorway now takes just 1 hour and 45 minutes, while travel from Athens to Grevena and Metsovo has been reduced to approximately 4 hours. Kastoria and Kozani can now be reached from Athens in around 4.5 hours.
Benefits
A number of actions are being implemented with the aim of securing safe travel conditions to the greatest extent possible. Safety barriers will be installed along the project, in order to decrease the chance of head on collisions. The motorway will be monitored both through special high-performance systems and with constant patrols that will inspect its condition on a daily basis. The scheduled and emergency maintenance works will ensure the high quality of all infrastructure.
The completion of the works will significantly reduce the average journey duration. Indicatively, the users of Aftokinitodromos Kentrikis Ellados – E65 are expected to save a minimum of 1 hour on their current journey.
| Duration of travel after the completion of the E65 | |
| Lamia – Egnatia Odos | 01:45 (from the current 03:15) |
| Athens – Grevena | 04:00 |
| Athens – Metsovo | 04:00 |
| Athens – Kastoria | 04:35 |
| Athens – Kozani | 04:30 |
| Athens – Karpenisi | 03:00 |
| Athens – Trikala | <03:00 |
| Athens – Karditsa | 02:35’ |
Besides Motorist Service Stations, the placement of SOS emergency telephones along the road axes, and the creation of safe areas for temporary parking, immediate response teams in case of emergencies, a customer service call centre, and cutting edge Traffic Management Centres will also at the disposal of drivers.
During the project’s design, special attention was paid to its environmental dimension, so that the motorway is compatible with the concept of sustainable development. To effectively protect flora and fauna, a series of technical works were adopted, aiming at protecting bears, wolves, and other smaller mammals. The tunnels and viaducts leave main corridors of communication unobstructed, and, wherever possible, we avoid crossing the region’s forests. It should be noted that an ‘Environmental Service’ has been established within the company, which will monitor the implementation of the Environmental Terms throughout the duration of the Concession agreement. The service is made up of specialised scientists and it drafts biannual environmental management reports. Furthermore, the company is implementing a relevant Environmental Monitoring and Control Programme which has been approved by the Independent Engineer and submitted to the Special Environmental Service (EYPE). Lastly, noise, atmospheric pollution, and water quality monitoring programmes are being implemented.
Upon completion, motorway E65 will decisively contribute to the development of rural Greece, especially the regions of Thessaly and Western Macedonia, especially in view of the venture to transition away from lignite and the area’s transition towards sustainable development. These 181.5 km of modern motorway will connect the port of Igoumenitsa — which operates as Greece’s portal to Central Europe — to the port of Volos, while it will reduce the total duration of the journey from the port of Piraeus to the Western Balkans by 2 hours. The impact on transports will be very significant.
Furthermore, we should also mention the development boost the E65 will provide to many tourist destinations in Greece, which, upon its completion, will become quickly, easily, and safely accessible.
Lastly, both during the construction and, later, during the concession period, employment will be significantly enhanced, as the requirements in human resources will be met by the local residents of each area. Indicatively, we should mention that during its construction works, which are estimated to last a total of 36 months, employment will be boosted with 1000 new jobs, contributing approximately 0.5% to Greece’s GDP.