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Attiki Odos

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Attiki Odos (Greek: Αττική Οδός) is a private-owned toll highway in Greece. The Proastiakos high-speed suburban rail is almost entirely in the median through the main section. Its numbers are 6 for the main section, 64 for Imittos Ring and 65 for Aigaleo Ring. They are the outer ring roads of Greater Athens metropolitan area.

History

Construction of the project began in 1996. The motorway was opened along with the Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport to which it connects. The motorway ran from the Gerakas Street interchange but did not have direct access to Keratea until 2003, nor a northbound interchange to Athens from Agia Marina, Athens until 2002.

During May 2001, an interchange 20B (now K2) opened for Koropi North and serves mainly a local road; construction from Kifissou Avenue to Gerakas continued while the western part began construction. The Hymettus ring was at this stage under construction.

More interchanges were opened later, including the Paiania-Spata Road. In September 2002, the high-speed railway began construction, and the central part of the main section began paving. From early-2003, Attiki Odos was now operated from Kifissou Avenue to Eleftherios Venizelos Airport; the Hymettus Ring was almost paved by this phase, but tunnels were already complete.

In late-2003, the Hymettus Ring became fully accessible with a toll booth at the northbound lanes near Katechaki Avenue. This part of the motorway has many tunnels; it runs in the northern part of the Hymettus and became the road to bypass Mesogeion Avenue and link to Kifissou Avenue and its suburbs, and the Airport along with the eastern suburbs of Athens.

In 2004, the western section along with a tunnel opened from the junction with GR-8 to Kifissou Avenue. It has seven interchanges in total, and runs between the mountain ranges of Aigaleo and Parnitha. The Egaleo Ring is still under construction. The high-speed railway was complete and ready for opening in 2004.

Safety

Attiki Odos is considered one of the safest motorways in Europe. It was designed under strict safety-related technical specifications, including updated hard shoulders in either direction and high quality skid-resistant asphalt pavement, dense lighting and fencing. Attiki Odos features hundreds of CCTV cameras connected to the Traffic Management Centre (TMC), which detects any incidents occurring on the motorway and informs the intervention and maintenance patrol units to provide assistance. Other sophisticated safety systems include:

  • Road pavement sensors
  • Carbon monoxide measurement systems installed in tunnels
  • TETRA system for communication with the patrol units
  • Elecronic variable message signs
  • Automatic tunnel ventilation systems

Tolls

Toll stations are located at the interchanges leading to the Attiki Odos and the toll fare is paid when entering the motorway. The fare is the same regardless of the length of journey but depends on vehicle category. Drivers can pay either by cash, e-pass or a special account card; for motorbikes and cars the standard toll fares are 1.30€ and 2.70€ respectively.

Places

Interchanges

The main part (official numbering):

  • (Not numbered) - GR-8A
  • 1 - Mandra
  • 2 - Magoula
  • 3 - (space reserved for future intersection)
  • 4 - Aspropyrgos
  • 5 - Aigaleo Ring
  • 5a - Aigaleo Ring South
  • 6 - Filis Ave.
  • 7 - Dimokratias Ave. S of Acharnae (also known as Menidi)
  • 8 - Kifissou Avenue/GR-1/E75 (Piraeus-Lamia)
  • 9 - Herakliou Ave.
  • 10A/B - Kimis Ave.
  • 11 - Kifissias Ave.
  • 12 - Pendelis Ave.
  • 13 - Doukissis Plakentias Ave. (= Duchess of Plakentia Ave.) and Hymmetus(Ymittos) Ring
  • 14 - Anthousa
  • 15 - Marathonos Ave. (which is the continuation of Messoghion Ave.)
  • 16/Y7 - Leontario (intersects with Hymettus(Ymittos) Ring)
  • 17 - Kantza
  • 18 - Peania
  • 19 - (space reserved for future intersection)
  • 20 - Markopoulo Mesogaias/Eleftherios Venizelos Airport

Markopoulo to Eleftherios Venizelos:

  • K1 (20A) - Attiki Odos
  • K2 (20B) - local road (Koropi North)

Hymmetus(Ymittos) Ring:

  • Y1 - Katehaki Ave.
  • Y2 - Papagou
  • Y3 - Dimokritos
  • Y4 - Agia Paraskevi (= St. Paraskevi)
  • Y5 - (space reserved for future intersection)
  • Y6 - Glyka Nera
  • Y7/16 - Leontario (see above)
  • Y8 - Pallini

Future expansion to the port of Rafina is under construction, passing through the area of Pikermi.

Sections

The brackets are non-state highway numbers.

  • Attiki Odos (6) - 47 km

    • SE of Markopoulo to Eleftherios Venizelos - 4 km
    • Hymettus/Ymittos Ring - 12 km
    • Aigaleo Ring (65) - 8 km, partly under construction as of 2006.

Extensions

On October 21, 2005 a new extension plan was proposed. 76 km of motorway will be constructed, bringing the total length to 141 km. Extensions will be constructed towards Rafina, Lavrio and Vouliagmeni. The Hymettus Ring will also be extended southwards to Vouliagmeni. It is yet unknown when construction will start, but it is estimated to begin in 2007.

External links



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Last updated on Saturday January 12, 2008 at 14:35:15 PST (GMT -0800)
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