Construction
The first sections to be completed were the bypasses of Patras (completed in 2002), Arta and Agrinio, and the Rio–Antirrio bridge (completed in 2004) across the Gulf of Corinth. Construction of the A5 motorway has been granted to two consortia: "Nea Odos" for the northern part (Ioannina to Antirrio) and "Olympia Odos" for the southern part (Patras to Tsakona).
In late 2006, Greece signed a €1.4 billion deal with a Greek-Spanish consortium consisting of construction firms GEK Group of Companies SA, Terna SA, Cintra SA, and Grupo ACS. The consortium, now operating under the name "Nea Odos", will build and operate the road, receiving toll fees for 30 years, while investing a combined €1.15 billion in the project. The rest of the funds will be provided by the European Union and the Greek government. Nea Odos is also responsible for the maintenance and upgrading of the PATHE motorway (A1) section from Metamorphosi I/C in Athens to Skarfeia I/C near Lamia, where it will also collect the toll fees. Construction, undertaken by the Euroionia Joint Venture (Terna SA, Dragados SA and Ferrovial SA) finally started in 2008 with a completion date of 72 months. The bill was ratified on March 28, 2007.
The Patras Bypass is now part of the A5. Planning of the bypass began in the 1980s, but construction did not begin until the 1990s. It passes east of the city, through the foothills of the Panachaiko mountain, and consists of several tunnels and bridges. In October 2002, the bypass was opened to traffic. As a result, traffic in downtown Patras has significantly decreased.
Read more about this topic: Ionia Odos
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