Motorway 8 (Greece)

A8 motorway shield

A8 motorway
Αυτοκινητόδρομος 8
Route information
Part of E94 and E65
Maintained by Olympia Odos S.A.
Length 215 km (134 mi)
History 1962–1973: Constructed as National Road 8A
2008: Eleusis–Corinth section reassigned as A8 motorway
Since 2008: Corinth–Rio section upgraded to dual carriageway standard and completed in 2017
Major junctions
East end Eleusis East
  Eleusis interchange:
to Athens airport
Corinth interchange:
to Kalamata
West end Rio interchange:
to Ioannina and Patras
Location
Regions: Attica, Peloponnese, West Greece
Major cities Eleusis, Corinth, Aigio
Highway system
Motorways in Greece

The Greek Motorway 8 (Greek: Αυτοκινητόδρομος 8), is a motorway in Greece. Part of the Olympia Odos network, the motorway connects Athens with Patras in southwestern Greece, spanning a total of 215 km (134 mi).

The motorway replaces Greek National Road 8A, which has been upgraded to modern motorway standards. The completion date was scheduled for 2014.[1] Since April 2017, the entire motorway from Eleusis to Patras is fully operational.[2]

Operation

Olympia Odos S.A. will maintain and operate the road for a total of 30 years. Operations will include two Traffic Control Centers built to operate 24/7 in order to handle emergency calls, as well as monitor traffic situations and contact emergency services when needed. Also, as part of the construction deal, 24/7 patrols, worksite protection, timely detection and response to incidents, and special services in the winter, are included.

During the construction phase, routine maintenance and work for all parts of the infrastructure of the existing National roads had been conducted.

Facilities

As of 2017, there are 4 toll stations on the A8: at Eleusis, the Isthmus, Zevgolateio and Rio. The section between Eleusis and Corinth has 3 lanes per direction. There are service areas in Nea Peramos, Megara, Isthmus, Kiato, Akrata and Aigio.[3]

Construction progress

On September 2, 2016, the first fully completed Olympia Odos segment, the section between Ancient Corinth and Kiato (20 km with 2 lanes in each direction + emergency lane and two interchanges in Zevgolatio and Kiato), was officially opened to traffic, with the presence of the Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras.[4] Although there were still some minor scale works (mostly on interchanges), traffic flow was not impacted. On the same day, the Derveni tunnels were given to public use. On December 19th, 2016 another 9 km opened in Olympia Odos from Kiato to Xylokastro, without the Xylokastro interchange which was opened in February together with Derveni Interchange.

Any remaining segments of the motorway under construction were completed and opened to traffic in April 2017 when the official inauguration of the road took place as well,[2] at the same month that segments of the A5 motorway and the A1 motorway's Tempe tunnels were also inaugurated and opened to traffic.

Tunnels

Westbound (direction Patras)

Eastbound (direction Athens)

Exit list

Notes
      Under construction
      Planned
Regional unit Exit Name Destinations Notes/Also as
West Attica 1 Eleusis east GR-8 to Athens Eastern terminus of the motorway
1A Eleusis airport
1B Eleusis centre
2 Eleusis west GR-3 E962
3 Eleusis interchange A6 E94 to Athens International Airport
4 Megara east, Nea Peramos
E94
5 Megara south GR-60 to Megara Airport
E94
6 Panorama
E94
7 Kineta
E94
Corinthia 8 Agioi Theodoroi
E94
Loutraki GR-8
E94
9 Isthmia, Epidaurus GR-8 GR-10 to Epidaurus
E94
10 Corinth, Examilia GR-8
E94
11 Corinth interchange A7 E65 to Tripoli, Kalamata
E94
12 Ancient Corinth GR-7
E65
14 Zevgolateio
E65
15 Kiato
E65
16 Xylokastro
E65
17 Derveni
E65
Achaea 18 Akrata
E65
19 Trapeza, Kalavryta
E65
20 Nikolaiika
E65
21 Aigio east GR-31
E65
22 Aigio west GR-8
E65
23 Selianitika GR-8
E65
24 Psathopyrgos
E65
25 Arachovitika
E65
26 University of Patras
E65
27 Rio interchange A5 E55 E65 to Ioannina Western terminus of the motorway

References

  1. ↑ Ferron-Hugonnet, Estelle (2008-08-07). "VINCI Has Completed the Financing of the Athens-Tsakona Motorway Concession, the Largest Ever Won by the Company Outside France". Business Wire. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
  2. 1 2 Olympia Odos, the motorway from Eleusis to Patras, in operation, on ypodomes.gr
  3. ↑ "Motorways - Exit Lists". Archived from the original on 2018-06-19.
  4. ↑ http://www.ypodomes.com/index.php/autokinitodromoi/uperastikoi/olumpia-odos/item/36165-stin-kykloforia-to-proto-tmima-tis-olympias-odoy-korinthos-kiato
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