The contract, signed at a special ceremony in Heraklion in the presence of Greece's Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, concerns the section of the Northern Road Axis (BOAK) from the Hersoniss junction in Heraklion to Neapolis in Lasithi, 22.5 km long, with a budget of 290 million euros.
As the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure pointed out, "the contract will have a duration of 30 years".
For the remaining sections of the BOAK, it was announced that on May 8 there will be binding offers for the large Chania - Heraklion project, which will be 157 km long.
The total budget for this section amounts to 1.75 billion euros and has been secured financing of 600 million euros from the new National Strategic Reference Frameworks and 200 million from the Recovery Fund. The Kissamos - Chania section has also been included in the project as an option.
The total budget of the project, according to the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, amounts to 2.5 billion euros, while "the new BOAK will be the last and most demanding long-distance Motorway to be implemented in the country".
The new highway has a particularly developmental character as it will lead to:
- reducing the cost of transporting goods and products in the overall road network of Crete,
- reducing the pressures caused by the existing road axis on the quality of the environment on the north coast of the island which is developed for tourism,
- facilitating the tourist movement of Crete,
- increase in employment.
Beyond the BOAK in Crete, 30 projects beyond the BOAK are underway and in design, the most important of which concern:
- The airport in Kasteli, the second largest International airport after "Eleftherios Venizelos" in Greece.
- A series of hydraulic works to deal with the water shortage, but also flood protection.
- A series of road safety projects along the existing BOAK to reduce accidents until the new road axis is completed.
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