2021 was indeed the year of infrastructure and 2022 will be the year that new construction sites will be opened throughout Greece, said the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Mr. Costas Karamanlis, speaking at an online event of the TEE of Central Macedonia, on: “Central Macedonia 2022: Year of reconstruction and creation”.
Mr. Karamanlis reminded that in the respective event last year at such a time, he had dared a characterization: that 2021 will be the year of infrastructure. “Those who know me personally know very well how much I hate big words and loud expressions. They know that the political school I serve prefers actions to words,” he said.
“But look where we are today. 3.2, another 6.5 billion projects are in an advanced tender process. ”
Mr. Karamanlis reminded the Government’s plan for Infrastructure in three steps:
Step One: Reform of the institutional framework of public procurement, while in addition these days the bill for the standard proposals is being discussed in the Parliament. “We are joining forces with the private sector – as we do with PPPs – to achieve the best results”, pointed out Mr. Karamanlis.
Step Two: A unified National Strategic Infrastructure Plan was developed for the first time. “All the projects are now part of a coherent plan. They are not fragmentary,” he said.
Step Three: Costing and utilizing every available financial tool.
With these three steps in the last two and a half years, the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport pointed out, it became possible for emblematic projects to be unblocked after years and new projects to be started.
He referred to the final solution to the issue of the Thessaloniki Metro, the construction of Line 4 of the Athens Metro, the extensions of Line 3 to Piraeus, Patras-Pyrgos, the North Section of the E65 and the acceleration of work of the South Section, the North Road Axis of Crete, Aktio-Amvrakia.
But also in the works in every corner of Greece: Road Axis of the Southwestern Peloponnese, Bralos-Amfissa, Bypass of Chalkida and Psachna, Eastern Alexandroupolis Peripheral, completion of the vertical axes of the Egnatia Highway.
Thessaloniki and Central Macedonia have priority in the planning of the Government
He stressed that in the planning of the Government, Thessaloniki and more broadly Central Macedonia have priority. He pointed out that this is the first time that such a comprehensive plan is presented, especially for the region of Thessaloniki, which includes the following major projects:
-The Eastern Regional of Thessaloniki, the so-called Flyover.
The road and rail connection of the 6th pier.
-The extension of the Metro to Kalamaria.
-The roads of Thessaloniki- Edessa and Drama- Amfipolis.
But also a series of smaller, but very important projects that will contribute significantly to the substantial upgrade of the city: Construction of 16 new schools, reconstruction of the Courthouse, road connection with the new Pediatric Hospital in Filiro, road Thermi-Galatista, the orphan kilometer of Potidea, but also the anti-flood works in the area of ​​the vegetable market, the arrangement of the streams in Oreokastro and the drainage of the rainwater in the Municipality of Kalamaria.
“Projects that all together, when completed, together of course with the main project of the Metro but also with the drastic support of OASTH – where we have already almost doubled buses from 2019, will dramatically change Thessaloniki”, underlined Mr. Karamanlis.
The new generation of projects is changing the productive model of the country
The Minister of Infrastructure and Transport also referred to the new generation of projects that will change the productive model of our country.
“Now that all the necessary major road projects have taken their course, it is time for the development of our railway network at last. The railways are the projects of tomorrow. They have a double goal. On the one hand, they are upgrading Greece on the freight map. Greece is a logistic hub, but it is also in full harmony with the EU agenda for green development, which is why we announced the largest railway project package ever made in Greece, amounting to 4 billion euros, with the process of design and construction “While at the same time the program of upgrading and electrification of the existing network of OSE, amounting to 1.2 billion euros, is in progress”, he noted.
He explained that the goal is to connect all major ports in the country with a modern and reliable railway network. And to create modern shopping malls near them. “Only in this way will Greece become a hub of infrastructure and combined transport in Southeastern Europe. Only in this way will we contribute to the change of the country’s production model and we will finally get out of a vicious cycle of disinvestment and lack of competitive services, especially in the transport sector,” he said. while he noted that in this way thousands of new jobs are created.
Mr. Karamanlis also pointed out that the construction industry is now leading the way in brain gain and at the same time the constructions are leading the overall effort for the recovery of the Greek economy.
Source: Capital
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