As we reported in a previous post (https://kolymbaricourier.com/2023/04/23/renewal-of-pavements-in-platanias/), in April last year, the Municipality of Platanias announced that it had received funding for the much-needed renewal and creation of pavements along the Old National Road from Platanias to Kolymbari. Included in the project, which has a budget of €4,513,000, was a strip of land alongside Maleme airfield, which was to be turned into an amenity for the Municipality.
The 6-metre wide strip was made over to Platanias by the Defence Ministry last year, and it is no doubt hoped that this will be an initial response to the Municipality’s long-standing request for the acquisition of the whole of the airfield so that it can be put to public use. Work has now begun on this stretch, with the clearing of the land on the seaward side of the main road, which had formerly been lined with a dense hedge of tall reeds masking the view of the runway.
In an announcement on its official Facebook page, the Municipality says: “Work has begun on the renewal of the pavements on the Maleme-Kolymbari sections of the Old National Road. The first operations are taking place within the Historic Aerodrome of Maleme. …
“The project consists of the remodelling and widening of the pavements on either side of the Old National Road, over a distance of 6 km, starting at the Maleme sports ground and finishing at the western end at the Doctor’s Surgery within the community of Kolymbari, with new lighting and street furniture. A feature of the renewal project is that the section from Maleme to Tavronitis will be inside the Historic Aerodrome of Maleme, with a width of 6 metres which will include pavements and a cycle track.
“According to the mayor of Platanias Giannis Malandrakis, ‘Following the drawing up of plans for the whole and securing the necessary approvals from the Municipality of Platanias, and the inclusion of the project in the Antonis Tritis funding programme, work is beginning on an emblematic project for the area. [This] will create a unified run of pavements on the Old National Road with a length of around 12 km at the administrative boundaries of the Municipality of Platanias, following the renewal of the Platanias-Maleme section which we had carried out in previous years. The completion of the work will upgrade the area as a whole, providing safety for pedestrians and drivers on a particularly busy stretch of road, while the renewal works generally will be an aesthetic improvement. Particularly significant is the fact that for the first time we have achieved the concession of a section of the Historic Maleme Aerodrome, so as to create a pedestrian and cycle track which will at the same time highlight the site’s historic importance. … ‘”