Motorway E65: Inauguration of the sections from Lamia to Kalambaka – What changes in everyday life

The new sections Lamia – Xyniada (18.5 km) and Trikala – Kalambaka (25 km) will be opened to traffic in the presence of the Prime Minister Kyriakou Mitsotakisbut also of the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Christos Staikouras.

Thus, with the delivery of the two new sections of the E65, a total of 136 km will be put into circulation from tonight. of a modern, safe highway, from the Karpenisi junction outside Lamia to the Uneven Kalambaka Junction, significantly reducing the travel time from the capital to Meteora.

Important destinations such as Meteora, Plastira Lake, Karpenissi, Trikala are now accessible, quickly, easily and safely, while a new development dynamic will be given to the core of the country.

The highway of Central Greece is a project, which is being built by the company TERNA SA. It has a total length of 182.1 km and is one of the most important national projects, with a total budget of approximately 1.3 billion euros.

It has, according to the data announced, the necessary capacity of a modern two-lane highway in each direction plus an Emergency Lane, effectively connecting Eastern and Western Greece.

It is recalled, according to information from the Central Road, that the last 46 km of the highway, which will start from the uneven Kalambaka junction and reach Egnatia Odos, west of Greveni, are also under construction.

Distances are shorter

With its completion, the E65 motorway will reform road transport to Western Thessaly and Western Macedonia, boosting trade, tourism and agricultural production.

The E65 will connect the port of Igoumenitsa – which acts as Greece’s gateway to Central Europe – with the port of Volos, facilitate international passenger and freight transport from Greece to Western and Central Europe and offer an alternative route, which is shorter than the existing one.

At the same time, the total journey from the port of Piraeus to the Western Balkans will be reduced by approximately 2 hours. In addition, the highway will contribute the most to the national strategic plan for the de-lignification of Western Macedonia and its transition to a sustainable development.

As an example, it is worth mentioning that with the E65 the journey from Lamia to Egnatia Odos will take just 1 hour and 45 minutes, the distance between Athens-Grevena and Athens-Metsovo will be reduced to just 4 hours and the journey to Kastoria and Kozani it will be a 4.5 hour affair.

The technical characteristics of the E65 highway

• 182.1 km
• 14 Uneven Knots & 2 Half Knots
• 4 twin tunnels and 1 single branch tunnel
  • Tunnel T2 3 km long (Othrios mountain range, Moschokaria)
  • Tunnel T3A 113m long (Lake Smokovo, Loutra Kaitsa)
  • Tunnel T3 387m long (Lake Smokovo, Loutra Kaitsa)
  • Single branch tunnel 65m long (Kastraki Kalambakas)
  • A 400m long tunnel in the 175+660 (Livadia – Emilianos)
• 48 Bridges, of which 35 are over 50 m long
• 33 Upper Passes & 76 Lower Passes
• 291 Box-shaped culverts and Fauna Passages
• 5 bilateral Parking & Rest Areas (H.S.A.)
• 4 Front Toll Stations (MSD) and 5 Side Toll Stations (PSD)
• 4 bilateral Motorist Service Stations (SEA)
• 4 Control & Maintenance Centers (K.E.S.)
• 2 Traffic Management Centers & 4 Tunnel Service Centers
• 2 Traffic Police buildings and 1 Fire Department building

The control systems in the twin tunnels

It is worth noting that the following control and management systems for each tunnel have also been installed:

1. Fire extinguishing system: Both branches are equipped with a fire extinguishing network supplied by a tank located at the exit of the tunnel. Per 36m. there is a fire pit with fire extinguishers as well as a faucet connected to the above network.

2. Exhaust ventilation system: Sensors have been placed along the tunnel in both branches, which detect the air quality and the presence of smoke. In each of these cases, the ceiling fans required to remove dirt and/or smoke are activated accordingly.

3. Camera system equipped with automatic Event detection system : Cameras have been installed along the tunnel which, in addition to monitoring traffic, are equipped with appropriate software that detects any unusual event and automatically activates response scenarios.

4. Lighting system automatically adjustable for day and night operation.

5. RDS system: The uninterrupted broadcast of radio stations has been ensured along the entire length of the tunnel, so that in case of danger there is the possibility of transmitting messages to the users.

6. Loudspeaker announcement system to inform/warn users