Motorway 1 (Greece)

Template: Infobox trunk road / Maintenance / GR -A

Periferies (regions):

• Central Macedonia
• Thessaly
• Central Greece
• Attica

• In construction
• In planning

The Aftokinitodromos 1/Αυτοκινητόδρομος 1 (Greek for ' Highway 1 ') is a 550 km long Greek highway, which leads from Evzoni in the north to the Macedonian border to Piraeus in the south. It runs along the east coast of the Greek mainland and connects the two largest cities and metropolitan regions of Greece, Athens and Thessaloniki. The Highway 1 also represents the north of Athens located section of the road transport axis PATHE (acronym of Patras, Athens, Thessaloniki and Evzoni ) dar. At its entire length is the European Route 75 The A1 is by far the most important north -south road connection in Greece and will completely replace after the completion of the sections in Tempe valley and around the Maliakos golf around the National Road 1. The section between the interchange Klidi near Thessaloniki and the junction Ikaria near Lamia is also called Αυτοκινητόδρομος Αιγαίου ( Aftokinetodromos Egeou, Aegean Motorway ).

Course

Its course largely corresponds to the path of the old National Road ( Ethniki Odos ) 1 ( EO 1) between Athens and Evzoni is with this but not identical. The in the 1960s and 1970s, newly built and partially neutral ized Route 1 is replaced by the highway 1. According to the course of the acronym PATHE is also decrypted with Piraeus -Athens- Thessaloniki - Evzoni.

The following cities and metropolitan areas are affected by the A1:

• Thessaloniki - west at about 20 km distance, connection to former Shuttle, today part A2
• Katerini
• Larisa
• Volos - west at about 30 km distance connection via slip road ( A12)
• Lamia
• Chalkida Evia - west about 20 km distance connection via slip road ( A11)
• Thebes ( Thebes)
• Athens

Use between the triangle and the Axios delta Klidi west or south-west of Thessaloniki, the A1 and the A2 ( Egnatia Odos ) the same road.

History and Building

The old National Road 1 was gradually expanded since the early 1960s. In August 1962, in commissioning the section from Athens to Lamia with a total width of 14 m of the road ( one lane and an auxiliary lane or breakdown lane in each direction ). In this newly opened section was unchanged as before oncoming traffic without separation of driving directions. In the same way, the expansion section of Lamia was released in 1967 to Larisa, 1959, three years earlier, was the release of the portion of Larisa to Katerini. Not least due to the necessary passage of the Tempe Valley, the total width of the roadway in this section, 13 m. In September 1973 was the opening to traffic of the section Katerini -Thessaloniki with a roadway width of 14 m. The section node ( interchange ) at Axios Chalastra to the border with the former Yugoslavia (border crossing Evzoni - Bogorodica ) was released in July 1973 and also had a road width of 14 m. In a departure from previous design of the road section Axios after two sections had with separate carriageways (2 × 10 m) and each two lanes plus small hard shoulder in each side. The first section was a short, few kilometer stretch north and south of the Cross Gefyra ( intersection with National Road 2 ), the second section was from the exit Polykastro to the border with Evzoni. After completion of this expansion work had the then National Road 1 is almost exclusively a non-separated road with oncoming traffic and only one lane per direction (plus emergency lane ), with the exception of the passage in the Tempe Valley. There lacked the hard shoulder.

The financing of this expansion took place via a toll. 1959 was raised on the stretch of Larisa to Katerini at toll plazas Tempe and Leptokarya toll. In 1962, the Athens - Lamia section toll ( toll booths Schimatari and Tragana ), 1967, the portion Lamia Larissa was also a toll ( toll booths Pelasgia, Drymona, Moschochori ). The tollgate Drymona but quickly turned her work. Only in 1986 was raised on the stretch from Katerini to Thessaloniki with the toll Nea Malgara a toll. The section Axios / Thessaloniki to Evzoni to the border remained free of user charges. 1992, the additional tollbooth Afidnes was established. The toll booths Agios Athanasios on the cross Gefira and the toll booths before the border at Evzoni never went into operation. The partly built of marble toll booths are left to decay.

In the 1990s, the route to the European motorway standard was started with a continuous expansion. The two-lane routes in the Greek regions of Macedonia, Thessaly and Central Greece were thereby expanded on dual carriageways with at least two lanes and a hard shoulder in each side. In March 2006, only the following sections remain without motorway standard: Evangelismos Pyrgetos ( Tempe Valley ) with 15 km in length, Regkini - Ikaria ( Maliakos bow, Petalo tou Maliakou ) with 77 km length, Egani - Leptokarya with 15 km length and cross Axios ( Chalastra ) Polykastro 45 km in length.

According to the Greek Ministry of Public Works, a crossing of the Gulf of Malia is discussed ( near Lamia ). The meantime favored solution was a 3-4 km long tunnel beneath the Gulf between Ikaria (north) and Mendenitsa / Schimatari (south). Alternatively (especially at the request of the Prefect of Evia ) is discussed a two-part crossing solution that would connect the northwest tip of the peninsula Euboea as a " stopover " with includes and Euboea directly to the A1. The latter solution is not feasible due to the greater distances to be overcome at the crossing because of the cost. A crossing of the Gulf of Malia on the one hand would mean a reduction of the distance between Thessaloniki and Athens from 20-60 km (depending on unrealized crossing solution), on the other hand, the previously two-lane route would then be brought to motorway standard. This is presently not the case. It was decided to expand the existing route to motorway standard. On 15 September 2007, a new 32 km section between Kamena Vourla and Agios Konstantinos was opened to traffic.

Networking street

The A1 crosses as a main north -south link in the road network of Greece all major road axes:

It is planned, in part or in construction to replace the national roads above by highways (eg replacement of National Road 3 by the A3, A27 and A13, replacing the National Road 6 highways through the A4).

Networking air traffic

The following airports of Greece are affected by this route or connected:

• Thessaloniki ( Makedonia Airport )
• Nea Anchialos ( Volos Airport )
• Athens ( Eleftherios Venizelos Airport )

Networking waterway

The main ports of Greece are connected by this route:

• Thessaloniki
• Volos
• Piraeus
• Patras

Attractions

Immediately adjacent to the A1, there are no sights. By connecting roads to the A1 many attractions are within easy reach:

• Royal Tombs of Vergina ( grave Philip II of Macedon )
• Ancient Pella ( capital of Philip II and Alexander the Great)
• Ancient Pydna
• Ancient Dion
• Olympus ( the highest mountain in Greece )
• Tempe Valley
• Thermopylae
• Ancient Thebes
• Ancient Delphi
• Attractions Athens ( Acropolis, Odeon of Herodes Atticus, etc.)
• Attractions Thessaloniki ( White Tower, Old Town wall, Galerius, Roman Agora, etc. )

Sections ( with distances)

Connections across the highway 1 and the sections have the following distances:

Notes: * Gefyra corresponds Thessaloniki -West, to Thessaloniki 16 km Axios ** corresponds Thessaloniki -southwest or Chalastra, to Thessaloniki 10 km