Six additional interventions to mitigate the impact on Thessaloniki’s traffic from the construction works of the Fly Over elevated expressway, announced the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Christos Staikouras, in a meeting with city agencies held today (19.2.2024) at the Thessaloniki City Hall .
O Christos Staikouras stated that: “Fly Over is a useful and necessary project for Thessaloniki, as recognized by almost all of its agencies and as recently presented in a poll by the newspaper MACEDONIA.
And this is because 10,000 vehicles per hour will be able to pass through the new ring road of Thessaloniki – free of tolls – when today 5,000 vehicles pass through, while, at the same time, the level of road safety increases and the environmental footprint decreases”.
The interventions concern:
- Elaboration of implementation studies to mitigate the effects on the city under the Coordination of the Central Macedonia Region,
- Leasing of parts of the former Karatassiou camp to ensure a corridor for ambulances to Hospitals 424 and Papageorgiou.
- Assignment of responsibilities to EGNATIA ODO SA for the operation of the Internal Ring Road of Thessaloniki, from the Uneven Junction K5 (Papageorgiou Hospital) to the Uneven Junction K12 (connection with Thessaloniki-Moudanion E.O.).
- Rendering of GAIAOSE and HELLENIKO METRO spaces, construction of outdoor parking spaces.
- Periodic and systematic information of the agencies regarding the progress of the project, within the framework of the Coordinating Body.
- Even greater reinforcement of the OASTH, with buses and staff.
“In any case, we are prepared to proceed with additional interventions, depending on the course and dynamics of the effects of the implementation of this important – for the city – project”, emphasized Mr. Staikouras.
The following is the full text of the statement of the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Christos Staikouras:
The political leadership of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport has been faced, since assuming its duties, with 3 problems in Thessaloniki:
The fact that the city – for many previous years – was plagued by emblematic infrastructure projects, the under-functioning of public transport and the reasonable suspicion of the local community regarding our reliability. Today we are trying, with planning, persistence and method, knowing that there are no magic recipes, to face these challenges and improve the quality of life of the residents of Thessaloniki.
Fly Over is a useful and necessary project for the city, as recognized by almost all of its agencies and as recently presented in a poll by the newspaper MACEDONIA. And this is because 10,000 vehicles per hour will be able to pass through the new ring road of Thessaloniki – free of tolls – when today 5,000 vehicles pass through, while, at the same time, the level of road safety increases and the environmental footprint decreases.
The contractual obligations have started from the day of signing the project contract, which was December 2022, and concern a period of 30 years. The delivery of the project is set for May 14, 2027. It is, of course, a fact that the implementation of large public projects, such as this one, causes -temporary- inconvenience in the daily life of citizens.
Already in the summer of 2023, a Coordinating Committee has been set up at the Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace, with representatives from the Region, the Municipality, EKAV, OASTH, OSETH, the Ministries of Interior, Infrastructure and Transport and Citizen Protection, and have been adopted a series of actions for the on-site monitoring of traffic and the routing of interventions.
Today, we come to present a series of additional interventions, which are also answers to reasonable requests of fellow Members of Parliament, the Local Government, the city’s agencies, and civil society itself.
I will refer to some of them:
1st. Under the coordination of the Region of Central Macedonia, which has the operational units that provide direct information on traffic conditions in the Region, implementation studies are underway to mitigate the effects in Thessaloniki. A consultation will follow in the Coordinating Body under the Deputy Minister of the Interior, responsible for Macedonia-Thrace issues.
The contribution of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport will concern the immediate issuance, by the General Directorate of Transport Infrastructure, of decisions approving the studies that will come from the above mechanism, in accordance with the extraordinary procedure established by amending the provisions of the KOK, with the Article 28 of Law 5058/2023.
Within the next few days, the signing of a relevant decision is expected to determine the roads on which the relevant extraordinary procedure will be applied, based on the recommendation of the scientists of the Transport Institute of EKETA, who receive real-time data on the movements on the regional and main roads city arteries, producing signaling programs.
2nd The contract was signed last week, specifically on February 14, 2024, for the lease of parts of the former Karatassiou camp with the National Defense Fund to ensure a corridor for ambulances to Hospitals 424 and Papageorgiou. This will be followed by the construction of the road by the Private Partnership.
3rd. A Ministerial Decision was signed last week, specifically on February 16, for the assignment of responsibilities to EGNATIA ODOS SA for the operation of the Internal Ring Road of Thessaloniki, from the Uneven Junction K5 (Papageorgiou Hospital) to the Uneven Junction K12 (connection with E.O. Thessaloniki-Moudanion) during the construction of the project.
In practice, this means that there will be crane vehicles to remove a car blocking the road on the Ring Road if necessary, while there will also be vehicles to monitor the road so that traffic is not obstructed, and there will also be a road assistance on a 24-hour basis.
4th GAIAOSE and ELLINIKO METRO have already held meetings with the Municipality of Thessaloniki in order to temporarily allocate to it spaces that are freed or may be freed for the construction of outdoor parking spaces.
5th There will be periodic and systematic information to the agencies regarding the development of the project, within the framework of the Coordinating Body.
6th The even greater reinforcement of the OASTH, with buses and staff, is on the way.
Specifically:
– The tender for the assignment of bus lines (vehicle, driver and maintenance) to 250 buses, 10 years old or younger, for the next 10+1 years in Thessaloniki is underway.
– We are in the planning phase of the 2nd procurement tender for 750 new buses with anti-pollution technology for Athens and Thessaloniki, of which approximately 225 buses correspond to Thessaloniki.
– Through an ASEP competition, the strengthening of the OASTH with 150 new contracted drivers was completed.
In consultation with the Ministry of the Interior, the possibility of extending the contract period of the new contracted drivers and the possibility of employing an additional 40 drivers until the end of 2024, i.e. until the start of operation of the Thessaloniki Metro, which is determined for this November, is being investigated.
The result of the actions to date is that the number of buses circulating on the streets of Thessaloniki has increased significantly. Specifically, from 245 buses of OASTH last December, today we approach and, sometimes, exceed 300 buses.
Additionally, according to the newsit, OSETH confirmed the increasing trend in urban transport ticket validations (OASTH and KTEL). Specifically, in 2023, there were 9.6 million ticket validations, 69% more than in 2022.
These are 6 additional interventions to limit the existing problem. You will hear more. In any case, we are willing to proceed with additional ones, depending on the course and dynamics of the effects of the implementation of this important – for the city – project.
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