Egnatia Odos: Increased traffic, to 100,000 subscribers

By Eleni Botas

Gradual recovery of traffic is recorded on the Egnatia Odos, with vehicle traffic being increased by 3% to 5% compared to last year while there is great interest of highway users to obtain a transceiver that ensures faster and cheaper crossings.

It is indicative that in just one year that Egnatia Odos counts since the introduction of the service, EgnatiaPass for the electronic payment of toll, has allocated about 100,000 transceivers.

It is recalled that Egnatia Odos entered the era of electronic tolls in October 2020, while just one and a half months after its implementation it had 15,000 subscribers (Greeks and Balkans).

Thus, the owner of the company’s transceiver can travel from Northern Greece to the Peloponnese and from Igoumenitsa to Kipi, without stops and delays at the toll stations.

Regarding the issue that has been created with the lack of automatic crossing machines, Egnatia Odos executives point out in the capital that the highway does not face any problem at this stage, however the possibility is open that malfunctions will occur in case the situation in the production of microprocessors (microchips) ) which are basic equipment of transceiver devices, continue.
Egnatia Odos is a road axis, 658 km long, with full access control and a separate road.

It extends from Igoumenitsa in the Region of Thesprotia (northwest coast of Greece) to Kipi in the Region of Evros (at the border station with Turkey).

The three vertical roads, with a total length of 225 km, are connections of the Egnatia Odos with neighboring countries (Albania, Northern Macedonia and Bulgaria).

At the end of 2022 the concession

Regarding the issue of the concession of the road axis, according to the latest update of the HRDH, the completion of the process goes for the end of 2022, as there are still pending for the completion of the tender.

The most important ones have to do with the completion of toll stations, the licensing of tunnels, etc.

It should be noted that the GEK TERNA-EGIS PROJECTS consortium has been the contractor of the concession for 35 years, with a price of 1.5 billion euros.

In order to complete the concession, the contract must be sent for approval to the Court of Auditors and then submitted to Parliament for ratification. The goal for the HRDF remains the contract to be signed within the second half of 2022 and then to complete the financial closing of the transaction.