Highways in Greece


The National Roads and Motorways in Greece constitute the main road network of the country. These two types of roads are distinct in terms of their construction specifications. Their main difference is that motorways adhere to higher quality construction standards than National Roads.
For example, a typical motorway in Greece consists of six or four lanes plus an emergency lane, separated by a central barrier. Entrances and exits to the motorways are only provided at grade-separated junctions and there are no traffic lights. Greek motorways are generally organized so that the odd-numbered motorways are of north-south alignment and the even-numbered motorways are of east-west alignment. However, there are many exceptions.
A typical National Road in Greece is usually a single carriageway or limited-access road with at-grade intersections and with one or two traffic lanes for each direction, usually with an emergency lane on each side as well. The designation of some important roads of Greece as "national" was first decided by a 1955 decree, while a minister's decision in 1963 determined the numbering of these roads. In 1998, a survey of the Hellenic Statistical Authority defined some new national roads that were constructed after the 1963 decision.
The naming system of motorways and National Roads is different. For example, "A2" refers to the Egnatia Odos motorway, while "GR-2" refers to National Road 2. All motorways are named by using the capital letter "A", followed by a number. The main motorways of Greece have a single digit number and auxiliary motorways perpendicular to the main ones have a double digit number. Motorways have their own white-on-green signs, while National Roads are designated by white-on-blue signs.
The construction of the Greek motorway network has been, to a large extent, a very complex and demanding project due to the peculiarities of the geomorphology of the areas through which the new roads pass. The Greek mainland is extremely mountainous; the local topography as well as environmental concerns regarding the local flora and fauna played a decisive role in the final route design. In order to overcome these difficulties, the construction of multiple large and expensive technical works, such as tunnels and bridges, was necessary in many cases. Indicatively, the total number of tunnels built along the four Greek major motorways is about 150 and their total length is about 200 km.
With a total length of about 2320 km as of 2020, Greece's motorway network is the biggest one in Southeastern Europe and one of the most advanced in Europe.

Motorways

Greece's motorway network has been extensively modernized throughout the 2000s and part of it is still under construction. Most of it was completed by early 2017. There are a total of 10 main routes throughout the Greek mainland and Crete, from which some feature numerous branches/auxiliary routes, as described in the listing below.

Greek motorways according to ministerial decree of 2015

A1 (Athens - Thessaloniki - Evzonoi)

The A1 motorway, also known as the Aegean Motorway, is the oldest and most important motorway of Greece, connecting the country's largest cities, Athens and Thessaloniki and passing through many important regions of Greece on a south-north direction. Section Chalastra - Evzonoi was constructed earlier as an expressway, with no upgrade planned.
The full length of this motorway is around 553 km or 346 miles, including 14 km or 8.7 miles of shared route with the A2. Note that until recently, the "P" in "PAThE" referred to Patras, but the Patra – Athens section has now become part of the A8, belonging to a different project.
  • The A11 motorway is a branch of the A1, connecting it with the city of Chalcis.
  • The A12 motorway is a planned branch of the A1, connecting it with the city of Volos. Upgrade of the pre-existing section is under way.
  • The A13 motorway is a now cancelled branch of the A1, from Thiva to Elefsina; connecting it with the A6 and serving as a western bypass of Athens Metropolitan Area.

    A2 (Egnatia Odos)

The A2 motorway, also called Egnatia Odos, is a motorway situated in northern Greece, connecting several major cities on the way. It starts at the port of Igoumenitsa and ends at Kipoi border crossing with Turkey.
Part of its length, a section of about 360 km from Evros to Thessaloniki, parallels the ancient Roman Via Egnatia, which ran from modern Durrës in Albania to Thessaloniki and thence to Byzantium. The project has therefore been dubbed a modern Via Egnatia. However, the parallel is not exact; the original Via Egnatia was much longer and its western section, from Thessaloniki to the Adriatic Sea, ran much further north than the modern road.
Specifically, there are auxiliary routes to Albania and Bulgaria, with the main route leading to Turkey. North Macedonia is accessed through the A1, as described above, or via the A27. Another auxiliary route runs close to the Evros river in the prefecture of the same name, reaching a point where Greece's, Turkey's and Bulgaria's borders meet. Some of those auxiliary routes are not yet motorways, but typical 2-lane expressways, although they are of considerably higher quality than other similar expressways in the rest of Greece. The project, was completed in 2009, with the length of the main route being 670 kilometers or 416 miles, making it the longest motorway in Greece.
  • The A24 motorway is a branch of the A2, referred to as the Thessaloniki – Nea Moudania Motorway or Chalkidiki Motorway, connecting Thessaloniki to Nea Moudania on the Chalkidiki peninsula. As it passes through the eastern periphery of Thessaloniki the A24 becomes part of the Thessaloniki Inner Ring Road.
  • The A25 motorway is a branch of the A2 and lies between Thessaloniki to the Greek–Bulgarian border crossing, via Serres.
  • The A27 motorway is a partially complete motorway that branches off the A2 north of Kozani, before heading towards Ptolemaida, Florina and the border crossing with North Macedonia at Niki. During 2012, tenders were announced for the construction of the 14 kilometers section from Florina up to the border crossing with North Macedonia. Construction of this section started in 2013, finished in 2015 and it was opened to traffic on 20 May 2016. The Ptolemaida - Florina part is currently an expressway, planned to be upgraded to a motorway.
  • The A29 motorway branches off the A2 near Siatista, and serves the city of Kastoria and the Greek–Albanian border crossing at Krystallopigi.

    A3 (Central Greece Motorway)

The A3 motorway, or the Central Greece Motorway is currently under construction. It will link the A1 near Lamia with the A2 near Grevena, and carry the European route E65. Its total length will be.
Construction began in 2009, lasted 2 years and stopped in 2011 due to the financial crisis. At the end of 2013 it was decided to proceed with the immediate construction of the central middle section, Trikala–Xyniada with a length of 80 km, while construction of the northern and southern sections was postponed.
The middle section between Xyniada and Trikala was inaugurated and opened to traffic on December 22, 2017. In October 2018 the European Commission approved the funding for the construction of the southern section, Xyniada - Lamia, which out of the 32,5km, the 14,2 km section from the A1 to Karpenissi I/C is opened to traffic on July 15, 2021, while the rest is expected to be completed by 2024. The construction of the northern section, Trikala–Egnatia Odos junction, has started on November of 2021 with completion due by 2025.

A5 (Ionia Odos)

The A5 motorway, also referred to as the Ionia Odos, is a fully operational motorway since 3 August 2017 when its last section under construction was delivered to traffic. It starts from Ioannina at the A2 interchange, and ends at Rio, in Patras, after crossing the Corinthian Gulf through the Rio-Antirrio bridge. There, it connects to the A8. The northern extension to the Kakavia border is in the planning stages.
The route passes through most of western continental Greece, along the Ionian Sea, hence its name "Ionia Odos". Work on the majority of the highway began in spring 2006 and would span six years, to be completed by 2012. Though, because of economic problems of the constructing companies, all construction works were halted in 2011, but since mid-2013 works on the whole of the 196 km motorway started again. The Antirrion - Ioannina section was completed in August 2017.
The A52 motorway, also known as Ambrakia Odos is a branch of the A5 connecting it with the island of Lefkada and the undersea-tunnel of Aktio, leading to Preveza. This motorway section is expected to serve the popular tourist region around the Ambracian Gulf. At long, the motorway was expected to finish in 2012, having started construction in 2009. Earthworks were largely completed by April 2012 but structures had not commenced as of that time. In mid-2013, works had begun again, but as of December 2016, problems with funding have kept the road largely behind schedule. The section from the Preveza - Aktio tunnel to Vonitsa and the section from Ionia Odos to Loutraki, have been opened to traffic in 2019 and 2022 respectively. The final section from Loutraki to Vonitsa was completed and opened to traffic in 2024.

A6 (Attiki Odos)

The A6 motorway, or Attiki Odos, forms part of the urban motorway network of Athens's metropolitan area. Its full length is and it is also planned to be extended to various directions, bringing its total length to. The Attiki Odos has various auxiliary routes, namely the Aigaleo Ring Road and the Hymettus Ring Road, serving parts of western and eastern Athens respectively; while the 6 km section leading from the main route to the Athens International Airport is numbered as the A64.
  • The A62 motorway is a section of the Attiki Odos which branches off the main A6 route. It is referred to as the Hymettus Beltway , serving parts of eastern Athens, while it is also expected to be extended further southwards to Elliniko and further eastwards towards Rafina.
  • The A64 motorway is a section of the Attiki Odos which branches off at the end of the main A6 route. It basically serves as a corridor from Attiki Odos and Koropi towards the Athens International Airport.
  • The A65 motorway is a second auxiliary route that branches off the main A6 route. The A64 section of the Attiki Odos is referred to as the Aigaleo Ring Road and serves parts of western Athens. A small part of the A65, the Skaramagas interchange, remains unfinished, with completion expected by 2028.
  • The A621 motorway is a small branch of Attiki Odos which connects Attiki Odos with the Hymettus Ring Road. It serves as a small detour of the main route and its length is.