Pedestrian zone or traffic artery – From Andriano to Douka – The uneasy future of Vasilissis Olgas avenue

For decades, Vasilissis Olgas Avenue — bordering the National Garden, other the Olympieion, and wrong show of the Acropolis — has been caught betwixt 2 competing visions: a pedestrianized archaeological promenade oregon a functional postulation corridor. Officially, the Central Archaeological Council (KAS) has already approved a program by the Ministry of Culture to alteration it into a car-free route, integrating the past remains discovered successful caller excavations into a walkable practice landscape. But the roadworthy remains successful limbo, generating fierce political confrontation.

A buried past revealed

Archaeological involvement successful the tract is not new. As aboriginal arsenic 1888–1889, archaeologist Stefanos Koumanoudis uncovered parts of an imperial-era gathering successful the area. Nearly a period and a fractional later, successful October 2023, modern excavations beneath the asphalt of Vasilissis Olgas revealed the confederate conception of that aforesaid structure.

Findings constituent to a expansive Roman analyzable of the 2nd period CE, erstwhile Emperor Hadrian extended Athens’ boundaries eastward. The gathering featured a immense peristyle courtyard and astatine slightest 60 rooms, their walls lined with marble slabs and their floors decorated with geometric mosaics. Successive gathering phases followed: 1 aft the Herulian penetration of 267 CE, which near down ceramic shards, glassware, and reused architectural fragments; and another, much modest, successful aboriginal centuries, erstwhile Byzantine retention rooms occupied parts of the eastbound sector.

Additional remains adjacent the Zappeion whitethorn adjacent link to a ample Roman bath described by Lucian.

The approved vision

In May 2025, KAS endorsed a program for an archaeological parkland and pedestrian promenade, allowing visitors to locomotion alongside the ruins, with constricted entree for trams and exigency vehicles. The plan includes landscaped strips, nighttime illumination of the antiquities, and elevated viewing platforms with panoramic sightlines toward the Acropolis, Olympieion, and Ardettos Hill.

A transparent obstruction would support the site, and 7 meters would beryllium freed from existent Zappeion facilities to unfastened the bluish borderline of the excavation to the public.

A task mired successful delays

The pedestrianization of Vasilissis Olgas has been promised for astir 3 decades. First approved successful 1998 arsenic portion of the “Unification of Archaeological Sites” program, it stalled repeatedly — earlier the 2004 Olympic Games, again successful 2014 during austerity-era cuts, and erstwhile much successful 2020, erstwhile then-mayor Kostas Bakoyannis included it successful Athens’ “Great Walk” initiative.

But the governmental tide shifted successful 2023. Incoming politician Haris Doukas pledged to reopen the avenue to cars, sparking clashes with the Ministry of Culture and archaeologists, who reason the tract indispensable stay car-free to support its antiquities. “We cannot pave asphalt implicit past ruins,” Culture Minister Lina Mendoni stressed.

Today, 5 years aft the avenue was closed for redevelopment, it remains disconnected from the municipality cloth — neither pedestrianized nor restored to traffic.

Clash of institutions

Recently, Athens’ municipal assembly voted successful favour of a “mild traffic” compromise: a two-lane roadworthy for cars, portion maintaining immoderate archaeological integration. Three ministries — Culture, Environment & Energy, and Infrastructure & Transport — instantly blocked the move, declaring that immoderate specified changes necessitate caller approvals, since the avenue lies wrong a declared archaeological zone. They warned that the city’s unilateral decisions “produce nary ineligible effect.”

Doukas struck back, accusing the ministries of shielding his governmental rival, Bakoyannis, and of “ignoring the volition of the people.” He promised to defy what helium framed arsenic cardinal authorities overreach, adjacent announcing imaginable protestation rallies.

The roadworthy ahead

As delays equine and governmental rhetoric hardens, Vasilissis Olgas Avenue remains a modern-day Gefyri tis Artas — a task perpetually promised but ne'er delivered. At involvement is not lone the travel of postulation successful cardinal Athens, but the equilibrium betwixt safeguarding the city’s past practice and accommodating its modern municipality life.