Shortly after 11am on Friday morning signatures for 157 kilometers BOAK that will connect Heraklion with Chania with the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to speak of a great day for the Crete.
The signature of the contract was put by the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Christos Dimas and its chairman and chief executive GEK TERNA, George Peristeriswith the project having It joins the plan “Greece 2.0” and therefore part of the construction costs to be covered by the Recovery and Resilience Fund.
“Today is a great day for Crete as it is finally after many difficulties and obstacles we sign the Heraklion-Chania concession contract with the option of Kissamos, a commitment I had personally made and today I am happy to present it,” I said, ” prime minister.
“We all have the obligation to look forward. We already have two open construction sites from Hersonissos to Agios Nikolaos, projects that will be completed by 2027. The Cretans are already seeing the change, ”he said.
“Dear Mr. Peristeri I soon wait to see the open construction sites in Heraklion-Chania. We know it is a complex project with a horizon of 5 years. That is why I ask for the cooperation of the local authorities. It is very important to understand the enormous importance it has for Crete and not the small local issues, “Mr Mitsotakis added.
“Let us all do our best to be completed in the timetable included in the concession. It is a project with great technical difficulties plus that the road must be functional at the same time, ”the prime minister said.
Referring to road safety issues, he spoke of “paranoid blood tax in Crete due to poor roads and poor driving behavior”, adding that “I have requested road safety projects that will make him safer and close to Heraklion and near Chania.”
Addressed, to regional governor of Crete He said that “we should deal with the issue of road safety in Crete as a whole.”
Also talking about the rest of the big works In Crete he recalled 4: “BOAK, the electrical interconnection of Crete with mainland Greece that has already become the little one and the great, important irrigation works to be done. It is important to shield Crete to the irrigation and to protect against the risk of water scarcity. The airport in Kastelli, which is being launched as we had promised. And to add another one to which I attach importance and are the student homes in Heraklion and Rethymnon. 5,000 students will settle there to address the housing problem of the students on the island. “
“I particularly insisted on the Minister and the Concessionaire on signatures on May 9 because it is Europe’s Day, all the major projects in Crete and elsewhere have European participation. And this is important to remember it in May 2025 and we are approaching the anniversary of the 2015 dramatic moments. Let us consider the progress the country has made with Greece being an example for budget. Let us think that the better they go, the more we can return the growth to the citizens, “the prime minister concluded in his speech by saying to the Regional Governor of Crete who appeared in a green envelope that he would give him Blue to emphasize the need for cooperation.
Dimas: We will apply security measures as in Patras-Pyrgos
“The project has already begun but today most of the project is being contracted,” the Minister of Infrastructure said. Christos Dimas noting that the project includes at least 43 knots 23 tunnels, 89 bridges. He announced that “by order of the Prime Minister we will finance the studies until Sitia next time”.
He also referred to the number of 38 traffic accidents in BOAK, adding that security measures would be implemented on the Patras-Pyrgos Highway in order to reduce traffic accidents during the work and the traffic rate in BOAK.
“From 2019 until today, Mitsotakis governments and the leadership of the Ministry of Infrastructure have worked to get to today. But everything is done thanks to the prime minister who is responsible for what is happening, ”concluded Mr Dimas.
Tahaios: Another island of Crete with BOAK
“Another day begins, happy but difficult. Difficult because it is complex to conclude a project. Crete’s future with BOAK will be another reality, it will be another island with BOAK Crete, the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure said Nikos Tahaios.
He also stressed that for the first time in Greece a highway project is being carried out as a single project in sections that are functional and even more in an area such as Crete that has a great deal of traffic.
Peristeris: Local government assistance is needed
For his part, the President and CEO of GEK TERNA, George PeristerisHe said that “for years the phrase BOAK has been heard and today it is signed as it sounds unlikely because the prime minister had been on May 9, with a night out by GEK TERNA, the ministries and the banks, we did.”
He thanked the company executives “because we submitted the most well proposal” and the prime minister “for the help and orders you have given to proceed with the project”.
“It is starting a more difficult and out -of -the -side effort and needs the help of local government and the authorities to complete this very difficult task,” Mr Peristeris concluded.