A8 motorway (Greece)

The A8 motorway, also known as the Athens–Patras motorway (Greek: Αυτοκινητόδρομος Αθήνα-Πάτρα),^[1][2] is a toll motorway in southwestern Greece, which connects Athens with Patras via Corinth, spanning a total of 215 km (134 mi).

A8 motorway
Αυτοκινητόδρομος 8
Route information
Part of E94 and E65
Maintained by Olympia Odos S.A.
Length	135 mi (217 km)
History	1962–1973: Constructed as National Road 8A 2008: Eleusis–Corinth section reassigned as A8 motorway Since 2008: Corinth–Rio section upgraded to dual carriageway standard and completed in 2017
Major junctions
East end	Eleusis East
Major intersections	Eleusis interchange: to Athens airport Corinth interchange: to Kalamata
West end	Rio interchange: to Ioannina and Patras
Location
Country	Greece
Regions	Attica, Peloponnese, West Greece
Major cities	Eleusis, Corinth, Aigio
Highway system
Highways in Greece Motorways National Roads

The motorway replaces Greek National Road 8A, which has been upgraded to modern motorway standards. The completion date was scheduled for 2014.^[3] Since April 2017, the entire motorway from Eleusis to Patras is fully operational.^[4]

Operation

Main article: Olympia Odos

Olympia Odos S.A. will maintain and operate the road for a total of 30 years. Operations will include two Traffic Control Centers built to operate 24/7 to handle emergency calls, as well as monitor traffic situations and contact emergency services when needed. Also, as part of the construction deal, 24/7 patrols, worksite protection, timely detection and response to incidents, and special services in the winter, are included.

During the construction phase, routine maintenance and work for all parts of the infrastructure of the existing National roads were conducted.

Facilities

As of 2023^[update], there are 5 front, two-sided toll stations on the A8: at Eleusis, the Isthmus, Zevgolateio, Elaionas^[5] and Rio. The section between Eleusis and Corinth has 3 lanes per direction. There are service areas in Nea Peramos, Megara, Isthmus, Kiato, Akrata and Aigio.^[6]

Construction progress

On September 2, 2016, the first fully completed Olympia Odos segment, the section between Ancient Corinth and Kiato (20 km with 2 lanes in each direction + emergency lane and two interchanges in Zevgolatio and Kiato), was officially opened to traffic, with the presence of the Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras.^[7] Although there were still some minor scale works (mostly on interchanges), traffic flow was not impacted. On the same day, the Derveni tunnels were given to public use. On December 19, 2016, another 9 km opened in Olympia Odos from Kiato to Xylokastro, without the Xylokastro interchange which was opened in February together with Derveni Interchange.

Any remaining segments of the motorway under construction were completed and opened to traffic in April 2017 when the official inauguration of the road took place as well,^[4] at the same month that segments of the A5 motorway and the A1 motorway's Tempe tunnels were also inaugurated and opened to traffic.

Tunnels

Westbound (direction Patras)

• Geraneia Tunnel (930 m or 3,050 ft)
• Efpalinos Tunnel (1,700 m or 5,600 ft)
• Aithra Tunnel (1,160 m or 3,810 ft)
• Panagopoula Tunnel (3,160 m or 10,370 ft)

Eastbound (direction Athens)

• Panagopoula Tunnel (4,000 m or 13,000 ft)
• Derveni Tunnel (480 m or 1,570 ft)
• Skyron Tunnel (360 m or 1,180 ft)
• Thiseas Tunnel (319 m or 1,047 ft)

Exit list

A8 near the Epidaurus exit

Notes
	Under construction
	Planned

Regional unit	Exit	Name	Destinations	Notes/Also as
West Attica	1	Eleusis	GR-3	Eastern terminus of the motorway
	2	Attiki Odos interchange	A6 E94 to Athens International Airport (to Eleusis only)
	2A	Nea Peramos toll post free	to Patras only	E94
	3	Nea Peramos		E94
	4	Megara		E94
	5	Pachi		E94
	6	Panorama		E94
	7	Kineta		E94
Corinthia	8	Agioi Theodoroi		E94
	9	Loutraki	GR-8	E94
	10	Epidaurus	GR-10	E94
	11	Corinth center	GR-8	E94
	12	Moreas interchange	A7 E65 to Tripoli, Kalamata	E94
	13	Ancient Corinth	GR-7	E65
	14	Zevgolateio		E65
	15	Kiato		E65
	16	Xylokastro		E65
	17	Lykoporia		E65
	18	Derveni		E65
Achaea	19	Akrata		E65
	20	Kalavryta		E65
	21	Aigio east	GR-8	E65
	22	Aigio west	GR-8	E65
	23	Selianitika	GR-8	E65
	24	Drepano		E65
	25	Rio interchange	A5 E55 E65 to Ioannina	Western terminus of the motorway

References

1. Lialios, Giorgos (12 January 2016). "Αλλαξε η λίστα των αυτοκινητόδρομων" [The list of motorways has changed]. Kathimerini (in Greek). Athens: Kathimerini Publishing. Archived from the original on 9 December 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
2. Ministerial Decision DOY/oik/5776/2015 (FEK AAP' 253/21.12.2015, pp. 2098–2099).
3. Ferron-Hugonnet, Estelle (2008-08-07). "VINCI Has Completed the Financing of the Athens-Tsakona Motorway Concession, the Largest Ever Won by the Company Outside France". Business Wire. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
4. Olympia Odos, the motorway from Eleusis to Patras, in operation, on ypodomes.gr
5. https://www.olympiaodos.gr/en/Diodia-OLYMPIA-PASS/Times-diodion/
6. Motorways-Exits
7. "Στην κυκλοφορία το πρώτο τμήμα της Ολυμπίας Οδού Κόρινθος-Κιάτο - ypodomes.com". Archived from the original on 2016-09-05. Retrieved 2016-09-05.

External links

• Olympia Odos official website