Attica road projects remain stalled as Kymi Avenue extension faces €400M funding gap

The projects that could help ease traffic congestion on the Kifisos motorway were discussed by Petros Souretis, Executive Board Member of GEK TERNA, in a conversation with journalist Fotis Kollias during the “Green Deal Greece 2026” conference, organised by the Technical Chamber of Greece.

His remarks focused primarily on the Kymi Avenue extension and the proposals for new road infrastructure projects in the wider Attica region.

Kymi Avenue Extension: The €350 Million Funding Gap

The extension of Kymi Avenue is a characteristic example of a project that has made considerable progress through the tendering process but has yet to reach the construction stage.

The project was put out to tender in February 2022, with an initial budget of approximately €352 million. A consortium involving companies from the GEK TERNA and AKTOR groups was selected as the provisional contractor.

The project involves extending the existing Kymi Avenue from Attiki Odos to the Kaliftakis interchange on the Athens–Lamia National Highway, creating a new road connection approximately 3.8 kilometres long.

However, the Municipality of Heraklion subsequently appealed to the Council of State, challenging the project’s design and the proposed route of the new road through the area.

The most significant obstacle, however, concerns financing. Despite the appointment of a provisional contractor, securing the necessary funding, now estimated at €350–400 million, remains unresolved.

The project was included in the Public Investment Programme in December 2021 with zero funding allocation and was transferred to the National Development Programme in 2023, without the financing issue being definitively resolved.

Potential Inclusion in the Attiki Odos Concession

One of the alternative solutions under consideration involves linking the financing and construction of the extension to the Attiki Odos concession agreement.

This scenario would require a political decision on the implementation model, as well as an assessment of the contractual and financial implications of such an amendment.

The option is of particular interest given that GEK TERNA has undertaken the new concession for Attiki Odos, potentially creating opportunities to coordinate interventions across the existing and planned road networks.

However, incorporating a new project into an existing concession agreement would require an assessment of the legal validity of the amendment, the financing mechanism and the allocation of relevant obligations between the State and the concessionaire.

Kifisos: Three Years Without a Decision on Unsolicited Proposals

A similar lack of progress has been recorded regarding unsolicited proposals submitted for new road connections in Attica.

As early as 2023, construction groups had made use of the institutional framework for unsolicited proposals to put forward major road infrastructure projects, taking the initiative in their preparation and proposed financing structures.

These include the proposal for the Elefsina–Oinofyta motorway, which aims to create an alternative route for freight transport and ease congestion on the Kifisos motorway.

In February 2024, GEK TERNA Chairman and CEO Giorgos Peristeris had pointed out that the relevant proposals had been before the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport since March 2023, with no indication of the State’s intentions.

Meanwhile, GEK TERNA, Aktor Concessions and AVAX had jointly submitted an unsolicited proposal covering extensions of Attiki Odos towards Lavrio and Rafina, as well as the Ilioupoli Tunnel.

According to Petros Souretis, the proposal aimed at alleviating congestion on the Kifisos motorway is accompanied by a financing solution that would not place a burden on available public funds.

Interventions at Metamorfosi and the Cost of Traffic Congestion

At the same time, some smaller-scale interventions have begun to move forward.

In 2026, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport approved an amendment to the Attiki Odos concession agreement to upgrade the Metamorfosi grade-separated interchange.

The planned works, with an estimated budget of approximately €2.45 million, aim to improve traffic connections between Attiki Odos and the Athens–Lamia National Highway.

However, this remains a relatively limited intervention compared with the needs of the wider road network.

According to figures presented by Petros Souretis at the same conference, Attiki Odos is already operating at capacity, while the annual economic cost of traffic delays exceeds €100 million.