Aftokinitodromos 2

	Template: Infobox high-level road / Maintenance / GR-A
	Aftokinitodromos A2 in Greece
	map
	Basic data
Operator:
Overall length:	670 km
Periferies ( regions ):	Epirus; Western Macedonia; Central Macedonia; East Macedonia and Thrace;

The Aftokinitodromos 2 / Αυτοκινητόδρομος 2 ( Greek for, Highway 2 ') in Greece , the main road link and the first highway in northern Greece from west to east. It is also the largest infrastructure project in modern Greece. It is also officially referred to as Egnatia Odos ( Greek Εγνατία Οδός , "Egnatia Street"), which goes back to the Roman Via Egnatia . The entire A2 is also part of the Europastraße 90 (E90).

course

Egnatia Odos near Ioannina

The descent of Highway 2 to the port of Igoumenitsa

The south entrance of the Driskos tunnel with west and east tubes

The Arachthos Bridge under construction (completed in April 2009)

Construction site of the Metsovitikos Bridge in 2007 between Panagia and Metsovo

Metsovitikos Bridge near Metsovo (under construction). Completed in April 2009

Greveniotikos Bridge near Grevena

Veria Polymylos Section. Entrance to one of the many twin-tube tunnels on the 22 km long section

Section Thessaloniki-Profitis. In the background the Langadas motorway junction with the A25 motorway (Langadas-Serres-Promachonas)

Section Profitis-Rendina

Asprovalta-Strymonas section

Motorway 2 (A2) connects the port of Igoumenitsa on the Ionian Sea in western Greece ( Epirus region ) with the Turkish border ( western Thrace region ) in the east. It was completed on July 7, 2009 when the Tyria and Agios Kostandinos tunnels were opened to traffic. The total length is 670 km. This makes it the longest motorway in Greece, ahead of motorway 1 (A1) .

Western section (Epirus; Igoumenitsa – Ioannina – Metsovo – Panagia)

Igoumenitsa – Ioannina

The A2 begins the new immediately inland ferry port of Igoumenitsa and leads directly to the southeast of the mountain region of western Pindos -Gebirges in Epirus to. In contrast to the time before the completion of Highway 2, the city of Igoumenitsa is no longer crossed, but bypassed in its south. Along a river valley, the A2 leads in a south-easterly direction towards the village of Vassilikos, where it turns around 90 degrees to the north-east and runs along the north coast of Lake Chaskova. At the northeast end of Lake Chaskova, it bends southeast again and crosses national road 18 at the village of Neochori , which leads south of the A2 to the village of Paramythia ; the A2 runs north of Paramythia further east between the massifs of the mountains Kourendon (north) and Alysos (south) via the villages of Selles and Tyria towards Dodoni .

Before Dodoni, the southeastern mountain Tomaros (Olytsika) is bypassed in a northeast arc (like Dodoni too). To the northeast of Dodoni, the mountain range that separates the Ioannina and Dodoni plains is crossed in a tunnel. The Dodoni tunnel runs approx. 1 km south of the national road 17 from Ioannina to Dodoni, which crosses the mountain range as a winding pass road. The A2 is connected to this national road at the Dodoni junction (4) and thus connects the archaeological site of the Dodoni Oracle to the A2.

Ioannina – Metsovo

The Dodoni tunnel has its eastern portal in the southwest of the Ioannina plateau . The A2 runs east-northeast oriented in the south of Ioannina and crosses the national road 5 at the village of Pedini . In future (see Ionia Odos ) this is where Autobahn 5 ends, which will lead along the west coast of Greece ( Ionian Sea ) to the north-west of the Peloponnese . The Ioannina plateau is left in its southeast at the foot of Mount Driskos with the Driskos tunnel; this is also the longest motorway tunnel on the A2. The tunnel of the same name ends on the eastern flank of Mount Driskos in the valley of the Arachthos River (west side), which runs from north to south.

The A2 crosses this river with the longest bridge in the entire route to the east side of the valley. Then it swings more strongly to the northeast along the river Metsovitikos ( Arachthos tributary) and runs south of the Zagoria region between the mountains Demati (north) and Gradetsi or Lakmos (south) towards the village of Votonosi. At the village of Votonosi in the valley of the Metsovitikos river, the A2 turns to the southeast and leads around Metsovo . The Metsovo plateau (approx. 1,100 m altitude) can also be bypassed with the help of the Metsovo and Anilio tunnels (both tunnels longer than 2 km). The Katara Pass in the east of Metsovo is crossed under .

This stretch is both technically and environmentally the most difficult on the entire route of the motorway 2. As a result, many bridges and tunnels are required, even the design of the connection points is not possible without major buildings: had at the junction Metsovo (7) is a helical tunnel in the Motorway feeder roads will be introduced in order to overcome the height differences between the existing road network and the A2.

Metsovo – Panagia

After leaving the Metsovo tunnel, the A2 continues through difficult terrain to east-northeast towards the village of Panagia. At Panagia, the A2 turns significantly to the northeast and again leads through technically difficult terrain to Grevena . Epirus is left at Panagia, and a north-western tip of Thessaly is crossed for a short distance before the A2 runs to Western Macedonia . At Panagia, the national road 6 connects to the A2 and enables you to reach the Meteora monasteries near Kalambaka . In the future, this is where Autobahn 3 (A3, Odos Kentrikis Elladas ) will probably end, which will lead to Lamia via Kalambaka and Trikala .

Central section (Macedonia; Panagia – Thessaloniki – Kavala)

Panagia – Grevena – Siatista – Kozani

After leaving Panagia and swiveling north-northeast (also using the Panagia tunnel), the section of the A2 begins in Western Macedonia . Along river valleys in the Aliakmonas catchment area, the mountain ranges of the central-eastern Pindos Mountains are traversed (west: Kopanes, Trypimeni, Simandro; east Chasia Ori), the village of Agia Paraskevi is passed and the Venetikos river is bridged. The city of Grevena in the regional district of Grevena (one of the most sparsely populated regions in Greece) is bypassed when coming from the south to the northeast. When bypassing, the Greveniotikos river is crossed in a large bridge.

After Grevena, the A2 initially runs in the same direction to Siatista in the Aliakmonas valley . This is crossed, shortly afterwards the national road 15 turns to the northwest in the direction of Kastoria and then on to the Albanian border . As part of the construction of the A2, the national road 15 will be relieved by a parallel motorway 29 (A29) . At Siatista, which is passed from south to north-east, the A2 changes direction and turns to the north-east and runs in the valley between the northern flank of the Vourinos mountain and the southern flank of the Askio mountain into the Kozani plain . Kozani is bypassed in the north, national road 3 is crossed here. Immediately next to the crossing of national road 3 is the Kozani-Nord motorway junction, where the A2 and motorway 27 (A27; Kozani – Ptolemaida) intersect.

Kozani-Veria-Thessaloniki

The Kozani plain is crossed straight to the western tip at Polymylos. Shortly before the village of Polymylos, the Vermio massif is passed in an arch on its southern flank. The A2 runs parallel to the Aliakmonas river and its reservoir , but is at least 8 km away from it. The passage of the Vermio southern flank is also technically difficult and is managed with many bridges and tunnels. The previously necessary passage of this section of the route on the parallel national road 4 (Kastania Pass) is not necessary for long-distance travelers.

After passing the southern flank of Vermio, the A2 swings for a short stretch to the north in the direction of the city of Veria and thus enters the Central Macedonian plain. In the south of Veria, the A2 turns northeast again to run parallel to the Aliakmonas through the Central Macedonian lowlands to the coast of the Thermaic Gulf . It passes the city of Alexandria in the south and meets the motorway 1 (A1; E 75 ; PATHE ) coming from the south near Klidi, which connects Thessaloniki with Athens along the east coast of the Greek mainland in a north-south direction .

From the Klidi triangle, the two motorways merge and lead as a common route and carriageway in an arc around the Thermaic Gulf. You describe a 90 ° circumference, cross the rivers Loudias and Axios . After the bridge over the Axios , the routes divide again at the Axios triangle: the A1 leads north in the direction of Evzoni to the Macedonian border , the A2 continues along the coast of the thermal Gulf in a north-easterly direction to Thessaloniki and the suburb Kalochori . At Kalochori, a junction of the A2 leads directly into the city center of Thessaloniki and its port. The main route of the A2 turns strictly north at the Kalochori junction to begin the western section of the Thessaloniki motorway ring.

Initially running to the north, the eastern suburbs of Thessaloniki are bypassed. After the intersection with National Road 2 at Nea Ionia , the A2 turns in a north-easterly direction and bypasses the suburbs of Thessalonikis Stavroupoli and Evosmos . At Evosmos, the A2 turns strictly to the east for a short distance and leads through a densely built-up area to the suburb of Efkarpia . At the Evkarpia Cross (also known as the Titan Cross or K4) there is a connection to the Inner Ring Road of Thessaloniki, which circles the city in a wide arc to the south and then leads to the Chalkidiki and connects to the national roads 16 and 67 .

Thessaloniki-Rendina

After Efkarpia , the A2 swings to the northeast again, passes the northwest foothills of the Chortiatis and meets the national road 12 (to Serres and Bulgaria ) at Derveni / Liti . One to two kilometers further east, Autobahn 25 (also European Route 79) will be connected to the A2 at the Langadas intersection; The former can be used to replace the national road 12, the destinations Kilkis, Serres and Promachonas on the border with Bulgaria can be reached. on the western edge of the lake. The lake Koronia is circumnavigated on its north coast up to the land bridge between the lakes Koronia and Volvi ; the namesake of the A2, the old national road 2 , leads on the south coast of the lakes Koronia and Volvi strictly east to the Rendina valley. The A2 has difficult terrain on the narrow north coast of Lake Volvi before it reaches the valley of Rendina to the east.

Rendina – Kavala

The Rendina valley is bypassed to the east leading to its north, which means that the A2 is back on the coast of the Aegean Sea ( Strymonian Gulf ). The A2 is oriented towards the slopes of the coastal mountains ( Kerdylio (mountain) ) and thus runs north of the tourist centers of Nea Vrasna and especially Asprovalta towards the mouth of the Strymonas river . The river Strymonas is crossed with a bridge at the height of the ancient Amphipolis : Central Macedonia is left and East Macedonia is entered.

After the arched bypass of the Strymonas estuary, the A2 runs for a short distance to the south-east and then turns east into the valley between the Pangeo and Symvolo mountain ranges . The valley is crossed in its entire length along the southern flank of the Pangeon or the northern flank of the Symvolo. At the end of the valley, the Symvolo tunnel crosses under the mountain range towards the coast at Nea Peramos . The coastal orientation only lasts a few kilometers: then the city of Kavala is bypassed from west to east along the mountain slopes in its north. This section turned out to be very difficult because of the valley basin of Kavala: several valley cuts in the mountain range around Kavala had to be crossed. In the eastern part of the arch, the A2 descends from the heights of the mountains around Kavala back to the coast.

Eastern section (Thrace; Kavala – Alexandroupoli – Kipi)

Section Kavala – Xanthi – Komotini – Mesti

After leaving the eastern edge of Kavala, the A2 has descended back to coastal level and continues to the east at the foot of the mountains. The peninsula east of Kavala (north of the island of Thassos ) is crossed in a straight line at its foot. Thus, the A2 runs north of Kavala airport towards the city of Chrysoupolis , which is passed north. After Chrysoupolis, the river basin of the Nestos river is reached, which is crossed with a bridge. Here East Macedonia is left and Thrace is reached. The direction of the A2 is already east-northeast again at the Nestos crossing and leads to the southwest of the city of Xanthi .

Xanthi is passed in a north-easterly direction leading south until the A2 east of Xanthi on the southern slope of Mount Karaoglou goes on a direct east course. This course is Vistonida -See bypassed to the north, passing through the village of Iasmos and the route to the airport from Komotini continued. At Komotini airport, the A2 swings to the southeast again, bypasses Komotini in the south and then leads directly to the northern flank of the Ismaros mountain range, leaving the western Thracian plain.

Section Mesti – Alexandroupoli – Kipi

The A2 begins its passage through the Ismaros valleys at the village of Mesti, until the Aegean coast is in sight again at the village of Makri, west of Alexandroupoli . At Makri the A2 swings to the east again and leads at a distance to the coast in the north of Alexandroupoli past this to the northeast. It runs through the plain with the industrial area of Alexandroupoli on the slopes of the mountains on the western edge of the Evros Valley. This is reached from the A2, which then swings to the east, near the village of Ardanio. Here the A2 crosses with the national road 51 from Alexandroupoli to Orestiada along the west side of the Evros valley.

After the junction Ardanio for the A2 straight towards the Evros river, Peplos passes in the south and ends at the village of Kipi at the border crossing of the same name to Turkey (Kipi / İpsala ). The Evros river is crossed by a bridge between the Greek border control and the Turkish border control at İpsala .

On the Turkish side, the D110 runs from İpsala via Tekirdağ to Istanbul .

Parallelism with other streets

Via Egnatia

From Thessaloniki it follows the course of the national road 2 to the Turkish border at Kipi. This section of the route essentially corresponds to the course of the ancient Via Egnatia . From Thessaloniki westwards in the direction of the Ionian Sea, the A2 ( E 90 ) runs more south than the ancient Via Egnatia: the latter ran via Edessa , Petres , Florina to Durrës in Albania.

Due to the parallelism of the routes and the desired meaning in analogy, the A2 ( E 90 ) is also referred to as "Nea Egnatia" (New Egnatia) or simply as Egnatia Odos (Egnatia Street; Greek Εγνατία Οδός ).

National roads

National road 6 (EO 6) : Igoumenitsa –Ioannina (partially)
National road 6 (EO 6) : Ioannina –Metsovo (partially)
National road 6 (EO 6) : Metsovo –Panagia (partially)
National road 15 (EO 15) : Panagia– Grevena (partially)
National road 20 (EO 20) : Grevena – Kozani (partially)
National road 4 (EO 4) : Kozani - Veria (partially)
National road 2 (EO 2) : Strymonas –Galipsos / Orfanou
National road 2 (EO 2) : Nea Peramos – Perni
National road 2 (EO 2) : Mesti – Makri– Alexandroupoli

European roads

E 90 : entire route (Igoumenitsa – Kipi)
E 92 : Igoumenitsa - (planned) Panagia motorway triangle
E 75 : Klidi motorway junction - Axios motorway junction
E 79 : Titan / Efkarpia motorway junction - Langadas / Serres motorway junction

Construction and usage fees

Client

The A2 is being built by the Egnatia Odos AE consortium with the support of the EU .

Expansion status

The A2 was completed with the opening of tunnels S2 and S3 (Tyria and Agios Kostandinos). After completion and opening to traffic in July 2009, two more junctions were put into operation in July 2010: the Taxiarchis junction in the Grevena-East junction section to the Siatista-West interchange (Grevena-Siatista section) and the Kerdylia junction in the Rendina junction section to Strymonas junction ( Thessaloniki – Kavala)

The A2 is designed with 2 directional lanes each with 2 lanes and 1 hard shoulder. In the area of the ring of Thessaloniki each directional lane has 3 lanes and 1 hard shoulder. The width of the lanes (3.75 m in flat areas, 3.5 m in high mountains) and the hard shoulder (2.5 m) corresponds to European standards. The median has a width of 2.5–4.5 m. The resulting total cross-section of the motorway has a width of 22.0–24.5 m. For the outer ring of Thessaloniki, the width increases to 32 m (3 lanes + 1 hard shoulder).

Due to the mountainous landscape, especially in Epirus ( Pindos ), the A2 is a very complex and also not inexpensive construction. Many bridges and tunnels were necessary along the route.

According to the operator and construction company:

1650 bridges (any size)
74 tunnels (any size)
50 exits or junctions
43 river bridges
11 railway bridges

The maximum permissible speed is 130 km / h for cars (100 km / h in wet conditions). The design speed is 120 km / h in the plains and 80-100 km / h in the mountain sections.

building-costs

According to the construction and operating company, the total construction costs amount to 5.9 billion euros. According to other, unconfirmed sources, the construction costs will add up to a total of 10 billion euros.

Toll

Mautstelle (Nea) Malgara (working).

Ioannina toll booth (not in use).

The route is subject to tolls (with the exception of the outer ring of Thessaloniki and other smaller sections) . As of November 2009, a total of 13 toll stations are planned on the 670 km long route:

Selles - between the junctions Selles / Tyria and Neochori (section Igoumenitsa – Ioannina)
Ioannina - between the interchanges Pamvotida and Arachthos / Zagoria (section Ioannina – Metsovo)
Metsovo - between the interchanges Metsovo and Panagia (section Metsovo – Grevena)
Grevena - between the Panagia and Venetikos junctions (section Metsovo – Grevena)
Polymylos - between the connection points Veria and Polymylos, shortly before the latter (section Kozani – Veria)
Kouloura - between the junctions Kouloura and Niselio / Alexandria (Veria – Klidi section)
Malgara - between the connection points Klidi and Malgara (section Klidi-Axios)
Nymfopetra - between the Langada and Profitis junctions (Langada – Asprovalta section)
Pangeo - between the junctions Orfanio and Mousthenis (section Strymonas – Kavala)
Nestos - between the junctions Chrysoupoli and Vaniano (section Kavala-Xanthi)
Xanthi - between the junctions Vafika and Iasmos (section Xanthi – Komotini)
Komotini - at the level of the Komotini industrial area (Komotini – Alexandroupoli section)
Alexandroupoli - between the industrial area Alexandroupoli and Ardanio junction (section Alexandroupoli - Turkish border)

There are 9 toll stations in operation. These are Tyria, Pamvotida, Malakasi, Polymylos, Malgara, Analipsi, Moustheni, Iasmos and Mesti. A total of € 18 is charged for a car for a complete trip from west to east, whereby the fee has to be paid several times en route at the individual stations, even without leaving the motorway. The fees are to be paid when entering the toll station:

Motorcycles and trikes - € 0.80 to € 1.70
Car - € 1.20 to € 2.40
Trucks and buses with up to 3 axles - € 4.30 to € 6
Trucks and buses with more than 3 axles - € 4.20 to € 8.40

The installation of an electronic toll collection system for the entire route of the A2 is in planning.

Networking

Street

The following nationally important roads are connected to the A2:

National road 6 and 15 : Kalambaka - Grevena - Kastoria - Krystallopigi / Ieropigi ( Albanian border )

The road connection to the south (Kalambaka) is currently represented by the national roads 6 and 15. The importance of national road 6 will in future be clearly graded after completion by the Autobahn 3 (A3) . The road connection directed to the north or northwest (Kastoria, Albania) is represented by the national road 15. After completion, this will be significantly graduated by the Autobahn 29 (Greece) | Autobahn 29 (A29).

National roads 5 , 20 and 22 : Arta - Ioannina - Kakavia ( Albanian border )

The road connection to the south (Arta) is currently represented by the national road 5. Their function will be taken over by Autobahn 5 (A5) after completion . The road connection to the north (Kakavia, Albanian border) is currently represented by national roads 20 and 22. Both can be replaced in the future by a northward extension of the A5.

National Road 3 / Highway 27 (A27) : Larisa - Kozani - Ptolemaida - Florina - Niki ( Macedonian border )

The existing national road 3 to the north (Ptolemaida, Florina, Niki) has already been replaced by the A27 from Kozani to Ptolemaida. A further extension via Amyndeo, Florina to the Macedonian border is planned. The national road facing south (Larisa, Tyrnavos, Elassona, Servia, Kozani) remains in place for the time being. An expansion to the motorway (continuation of the A27 to the south) is being discussed.

Freeway 1 (A1, PATHE) : Larisa - Katerini - Thessaloniki - Polykastro - Evzoni ( Macedonian border )
National road 67 : Thessaloniki - Nea Moudania - Kallithea

This traffic axis on the Chalkidiki peninsula is to be expanded to the southern part of Autobahn 25 in the future.

Motorway 25 (A25) : Thessaloniki - Serres - Promachonas ( Bulgarian border )
National Road 12 : Kavala - Drama - Exochi ( Bulgarian border )
National road 58 : Komotini - Nymfea ( Bulgarian border )
National road 51 : Alexandroupoli - Orestiada - Edirne ( Turkey ) - Svilengrad ( Bulgaria )

air traffic

The following international / national airports in Greece are on the A2

Ioannina (Pyrros Airport)
Kozani (Filippos Airport)
Thessaloniki ( Makedonia Airport )
Kavala (Megas Alexandros Airport)
Alexandroupoli (Demokritos Airport)

Shipping traffic (ports)

Igoumenitsa
Thessaloniki
Kavala
Alexandroupoli

Signage

Sign announcing the Strymonas junction.

Sign announcing the Kalochori motorway junction (west of Thessaloniki).

The Greek motorways can be recognized by the signs with a green background. The number signs correspond to the number signs of the German federal autobahn , but instead of a blue background, a green background is used and the number is preceded by a capital letter A.

The lettering is always bilingual: the English-language signage is in white letters, the Greek in yellow letters.

DIN 1451 is used as the font in the majority of cases, but other fonts can also be found. The labeling is partly in uppercase and partly in lowercase. Normally the Greek name of the place is given first, followed by the English name.

For clarification see also:

Commons : Signs of highways in Greece (drawings) - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Commons : Street signs in Greece (photos). - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Web links

Website of the construction and operating company Egnatia Odos AE (Greek and English)
DYWIDAG Solutions for Krystallopigi Bridge in Greece ( Memento from January 22, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
Video of the new motorway section Venetikos – Panagia on YouTube, part 1. on YouTube
Video of the new motorway section Venetikos – Panagia on YouTube, part 2. on YouTube

Commons : Egnatia Odos - collection of images, videos and audio files

swell

Current state of development of Autobahn 2 on the website of the operating company Egnatia Odos AE (as of September 2010, JPG image). Black = finished.
Codification and numbering of the Greek motorway network (Κωδικοποίηση και Αρίθμηση Ελληνικού Διευρωπαϊκού Οδικού Δικτύου) from January 8th, 2009. Available from the General Secretariat of the Ministry of the Environment, Regional Planning and Public Buildings (on Greek Public Works Map). Last accessed: September 28, 2010 12:31 PM CEST.
Supplement to the press release of the Greek Minister for Public Works Georgios Souflias of January 13, 2009. This contains detailed maps of several sections of the A2 motorway (in Greek, ZIP archive). ( Memento from March 6, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
Press release of the Greek Minister for Public Works Georgios Souflias of January 13, 2009 (in Greek, Word document.) ( Memento of March 6, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
Press release of the Greek Minister for Public Works Georgios Souflias dated April 8, 2009 (in Greek, Word document). ( Memento from March 6, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
Press release of the Greek Minister for Public Works Georgios Souflias dated September 1st, 2008 (in Greek, Word document). ( Memento from March 6, 2012 in the Internet Archive )

Individual evidence

[Egnatia_fertig-1] Article in the newspaper Ipirotikos Agon of July 7, 2009 (in Greek) ( Memento of July 16, 2009 in the Internet Archive )

[EGNATIANEWS-20100727-2] Press release of the operating company Egnatia Odos AE from July 27, 2010 on the opening of the Taxiarchis junction (in Greek).

[EGNATIANEWS-20100720-3] Press release of the operating company Egnatia Odos AE from July 20, 2010 about the opening of traffic at the Kerdylia junction (in Greek).

[MAKTHES-20091102-EGNATIA-4] Newspaper article of the Makedonia newspaper of November 2, 2009 (in Greek) ( Memento of August 10, 2011 in the Internet Archive )

[5] Overview of the toll stations. Egnatia Motorway SA website, accessed September 1, 2018.