Greek Infrastructure Deputy Minister Nikos Tachiaos has ruled out an early completion date for the Thessaloniki Flyover expressway, confirming that the major highway project will be delivered in May 2027.
Speaking to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, Tachiaos stated that total construction progress on the elevated road project has now passed 60 percent.
He described the pace of construction as very fast, stressing that the primary objective is to deliver a safe and fully operational highway that will relieve severe traffic congestion across Thessaloniki.
Addressing questions about whether construction could finish ahead of schedule, Tachiaos explained that while officials had actively sought and attempted an earlier delivery, he now ruled out that possibility. He noted that May 2027 remains the final completion deadline originally established for the project.
He acknowledged the demanding nature of the scheme, emphasizing that despite its technical complexity, work on the ground is continuing to advance at a rapid rate.
Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city and main economic hub in the northern region of Macedonia, has long suffered from bottleneck traffic along its main bypass corridor, the Eastern Inner Ring Road. The Flyover initiative is structured as a public-private partnership model to modernize the existing route and substantially expand regional transit capacity.
Construction progress and traffic impact
Tachiaos said the physical appearance of the construction site is changing daily in ways that are now clearly visible to commuters driving along the Ring Road. He added that drivers frequently tell him they are impressed by seeing new progress every single day as they travel past the work zones.
According to the deputy minister, this visible momentum has acted as a vital counterweight to the inconvenience caused by ongoing traffic management measures. He noted that the obvious advance of the work has saved the project from widespread driver complaints, which he admitted would not have been unjustified given the delays and traffic disruption on the Ring Road.
Tachiaos emphasized that maintaining a rapid pace of work is essential to deliver a road that is both safe and completely functional. He said eliminating major bottlenecks is critical to prevent driver frustration caused by unwanted traffic jams.
Bridges and technical work fronts
Construction crews are operating across multiple active fronts, utilizing characteristic blue and orange formwork systems that Tachiaos described as working non-stop and tirelessly.
He noted that impressive construction activity is not limited to those specific sections, highlighting rapid progress on new bridge structures along the corridor.
Special effort is being focused on completing the Panorama bridge and two separate bridge decks, one for each direction of travel, as quickly as possible. Tachiaos acknowledged that these technical steps are complex and difficult, but insisted that execution is proceeding at maximum speed.
Landfill discovery and unexpected costs
As a public-private partnership scheme, the Flyover project is largely self-financed by the contractor, but unexpected technical conditions encountered during construction created additional requirements that increased costs and caused delays.
Tachiaos revealed that authorities had to implement significant acceleration measures to overcome these technical hurdles without compromising the overall project schedule.
In one notable instance near the Konstantinopolitika area, engineers examined a section of road where the pavement had been settling for years. They discovered that the existing road embankment had originally been constructed directly over a garbage landfill.
Tachiaos explained that resolving the issue required a major ground restoration and remediation procedure carried out at substantial cost. He confirmed that extra expenses generated by such unforeseen conditions are being paid by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport through the Public Investment Programme.
Despite the landfill complication, Tachiaos clarified that the Flyover has not experienced the massive or unpredictable setbacks that frequently impact other public infrastructure projects in Greece.
Project specifications and contract details
The Thessaloniki Flyover is a complex highway development spanning approximately 13 to 13.5 kilometres, combining the construction of a new Elevated Expressway with the comprehensive upgrade of the existing Eastern Inner Ring Road.
The new Elevated Expressway itself covers a length of 7.6 kilometres, featuring a continuous elevated viaduct structure extending for approximately 4 kilometres. It is designed with two traffic lanes plus an emergency lane in each direction.
The route stretches from Interchange K5 in the area of Papageorgiou Hospital to Interchange K12 at the junction connecting with the Thessaloniki-Moudania National Road. The project incorporates nine grade-separated interchanges, three new tunnels, multiple bridges, and extensive supporting engineering works.
The infrastructure project is being delivered under a 30-year partnership agreement by a contractor consortium comprising Greek construction groups AVAX and Mytilineos. The contract framework allocates four years for construction followed by 26 years of operation and maintenance.
Financial figures for the project vary based on the specific accounting valuation used. Tender documentation referenced an amount of approximately 373 million euros in net present value terms, while the contractor consortium presents the project as an investment of roughly 370 million euros. More recent public references cite figures between 462.7 million and 462.8 million euros.
The overall project scope includes upgrading the existing Ring Road, building new access routes, installing drainage and sewerage networks, placing road signage and safety barriers, equipping tunnels with electromechanical systems, and constructing heavy retaining walls necessitated by the local hilly topography.
Construction is being carried out while the existing Ring Road remains open to live traffic, representing one of the project's primary engineering and traffic management challenges. During the construction phase, temporary traffic arrangements remain in place and the existing roadway operates with reduced traffic capacity.
