The project to permanently connect Lefkada to the mainland through an underwater tunnel becomes especially important after the completion of the new Aktio-Ambrakia road.
The Lefkada-Eitoloakarnania project, considered to be of strategic importance, will put an end to the traffic that chokes the island every summer and will give impetus to development in the region.
According to ERT, the long queues formed by visitors’ vehicles on the island did not go unnoticed by the local government factions, which have placed the issue of tunnel construction high on their election agenda.
The major project, with a budget of 60 million euros, was mentioned a few months ago by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in the context of his speech on the development plan for the Ionian Islands region until 2030.
The underwater connection between Lefkada and Aitoloakarnania through the tunnel is a natural extension of Amvrakia Odos within the framework of the Lefkada double road project, which was recently completed.
Based on the old concession tender, which was announced in 2013 (but was not continued), a 3 km long section of road will be built, including a 1.1 km long underwater tunnel, of which 450 m will be a closed section, and 310 and 270 m – connections to the entrance and exit of the tunnel. The proposed method of constructing the tunnel was based on building it on land, through excavation and backfilling.
Today, the connection of the island with mainland Greece is carried out using metal hinged bridge. Here, in the summer months, queues of vehicles form, which causes great inconvenience to visitors. The constant connection between Lefkada and the mainland will act as an “antidote”, which, in addition to normalizing traffic, will make a decisive contribution to improving the quality of the tourism product.
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