Motorway 8 (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).

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 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

Main article: Olympia Odos

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 19, 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)

• Geraneia Tunnel (930 m or 3,050 ft)
• Efpalinos Tunnel (1,700 m or 5,600 ft)
• Aithra Tunnel (1,160 m or 3,810 ft)
• Panagopoula Tunnel (3,160 m or 10,370 ft)

Eastbound (direction Athens)

• Panagopoula Tunnel (4,000 m or 13,000 ft)
• Derveni Tunnel (480 m or 1,570 ft)
• Skyron Tunnel (360 m or 1,180 ft)
• Thiseas Tunnel (319 m or 1,047 ft)

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. 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. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-09-05. Retrieved 2016-09-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

External links

• Olympia Odos official website