They are taking forward the smart infrastructure projects of the Recovery Fund

her Eleni Bota

Smart bridges, electronic tolls, an integrated Infrastructure and Transport management system are some of the projects of the Recovery Fund that the Ministry is putting forward.

The Smart Bridges project is expected to start in 2023, with a budget of 80.68 million euros. The aim of the project is to provide smart preventive bridge maintenance services in various regions of the country by improving the safety level of bridges and preventing accidents due to either the passage of heavy vehicles or climate change risks.

In particular, the project concerns the “smart” provision of bridge maintenance services in Greece. The project requires the supply and installation of special load measurement sensors / optical fibers that will record the displacement of the bridges in real time with modern technological methods.

This information will be processed through special algorithms that will calculate the strength of the bridges. The project will be accompanied by relevant studies by specialized engineers who will document and scientifically monitor the results. The project will be implemented under the supervision of the Technical Chamber of Greece.

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport has also launched additional actions through the Recovery Fund to improve the services provided on both the road and rail networks.

The Integrated Infrastructure and Transport Management System, with a budget of 10 million euros, is part of this framework. The reform project involves the installation of a state-of-the-art information system, the management of a portfolio of projects and assets, and the provision of accurate real-time information on the stages of all ongoing projects of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.

Also the Transformation of Railway Organizations OSE S.A. – ERGOSE S.A., with a budget of 5 million euros. The reform project concerns the transformation of the OSE-ERGOSE Railway Organizations through the improvement of their attractiveness, productivity and competitiveness, so that they meet the needs of the market and users. and also the Road Safety Improvement project, with a budget of 675 million euros.

The project includes road safety interventions at more than 7,000 points spanning 2,500 kilometers of the country’s road network.

Finally, the Ministry is launching the project of electronic tolls, with a budget of 90 million euros. The new system will replace the existing toll charge and users will be charged according to the distance they travel.

The completion of the project is expected at the end of 2025, where now the crossings on the Greek highways will be calculated based on the actual distance traveled by the vehicle, making the charges proportional.

The benefits of the new toll system – if we take into account the same system implemented by Olympia Odos from January 1, 2021 – will ensure up to 76% lower fees for users, while ensuring “free flow” on the highway, i.e. journey without delays, where the vehicle is not required to stop for the toll transaction.

The electronic toll system applied on the road axis Elefsina – Corinth – Patras – is based on the debit-credit logic: The vehicle equipped with a transceiver passes through an electronic lane of a frontal station and pays the toll zone fee.

In the event that he exits the highway before the end of the specific zone, the amount corresponding to the distance he did not travel is automatically credited to his transceiver.