The plan for a triple bypass on Kifisos via Skaramagas to tackle Athens traffic

A bid of projects, initially focused connected easing the load connected the alleged “river of torment,” Kifisos, by diverting motortruck traffic, committedness to trim the capital’s monolithic congestion. The starting constituent is the triple interchange astatine Skaramagas, which has been prioritized aft the tender for the logistics halfway successful Fyli was declared unsuccessful.

The caller task offers anticipation of ending Athens’ postulation nightmare successful the aforesaid mode it is caused—through a strategy of interconnected routes. Decongesting Kifisos Avenue volition archetypal easiness Attiki Odos and past trim postulation adjacent successful cardinal Athens and different large roads. How?

Like a clogged artery

After the illness of the tender for the ample logistics parkland successful Fyli (declared void), which aimed to relocate transport institution depots from Elaionas, it became wide that relieving Kifisos from motortruck postulation would beryllium delayed. As an alternate (already considered successful parallel), the Skaramagas triple interchange is present being prioritized.

Once contracts are signed, enactment volition statesman to link the Western Aigaleo Ring Road with Schisto Avenue and the wider Skaramagas concern area. This volition importantly easiness congestion successful occidental Attica and somewhat relieve Kifisos—though not completely. Still, tin it connection breathing room?

The concern is each excessively acquainted for Athens drivers unfortunate capable to usage Kifisos, particularly successful the mornings (and progressively passim the day): toward the Corinth exit, everything comes to a standstill.

Traffic queues agelong from the Athens–Corinth road into Kifisos, creating a bottleneck effect, with astatine slightest 1 lane blocked by stationary vehicles. As clip passes, congestion spreads and yet brings the full roadworthy to a halt.

Like a clogged artery successful a body, Kifisos rapidly transmits the occupation to each roadworthy successful Attica. Drivers divert to Attiki Odos, causing delays determination too, and congestion spreads further.

More than 130,000 vehicles—many of them dense trucks—pass regular on the Athens–Corinth road astatine its junction with Schisto Avenue.

The triple interchange plan

The program includes constructing 3 interchanges: Schisto, Shipyards, and Skaramagas, alongside completing the last 1.5 km of the Western Aigaleo Ring Road, linking it with Athens Avenue and Schisto Avenue.

With this project, dense postulation volition beryllium rerouted done Skaramagas, reducing the request for trucks and commuters successful occidental suburbs and the larboard to usage Kifisos. This is expected to importantly relieve congestion, particularly successful occidental sections, improving postulation travel crossed the full Attica basin.

Project components include:

• Skaramagas interchange: a mini interchange straight linking the Western Aigaleo Ring Road with the Athens–Corinth road and Schisto Avenue.
• Upgraded Schisto interchange: reconstruction of the existing span and summation of a 2nd overpass for postulation from Athens toward Schisto.
• New Shipyards interchange: built from scratch, replacing a problematic traffic-light junction known for kilometer-long queues.

The project, budgeted astatine €70 cardinal and expected to instrumentality astir 3 years, volition efficaciously make a “parallel Kifisos”—an alternate way channeling dense traffic, particularly to and from Piraeus.

It volition besides destruct 1 of occidental Attica’s astir notorious postulation lights (at Skaramagas shipyards) and adhd lanes to amended flow.

A “parallel Kifisos”

Future plans see different interchange successful Aspropyrgos, further strengthening this alternate corridor. The extremity is to make a continuous way from Attiki Odos to Piraeus, diverting dense vehicles distant from Kifisos.

Flood-control works are besides planned.

Originally, this was to complement the logistics hub successful Fyli, a large task dating backmost to the 1990s—but it has stalled again aft the tender failed owed to fiscal disagreements betwixt authorities and the municipality.

The halfway problem

Transport experts accidental the cardinal contented is the dense motortruck load connected Kifisos, which exceeds its capacity.

• Over 260,000 vehicles usage Kifisos daily
• Trucks marque up astir 20% of postulation per lane (vs. ~3% elsewhere)
• Drivers tin suffer implicit an hr connected trips that should instrumentality 20 minutes

Logistics enactment unsocial accounts for much than 20,000 regular motortruck trips, linked to Piraeus larboard and concern zones similar Elefsina and Aspropyrgos.

Delays outgo the system an estimated €90 cardinal annually.

From 2024 to today, drivers successful Attica are estimated to person mislaid 14–15 cardinal hours stuck successful traffic.

Stress ranking

All this contributes to Athens being ranked the third astir stressful metropolis successful Europe for driving, according to a survey by Compare the Market.

• Score: 58.45/100
• Worse scores: Dublin and Bucharest
• Traffic congestion: 54.7%
• Average speed: 19 km/h
• Time lost: 143 hours per twelvemonth per driver

Globally, Athens is not acold down cities similar Houston, Seattle, and parts of Australia successful driving accent levels.