Among the speakers at the “Kriti 2030” forum organised by the national newspaper Eleftheros Typos in Heraklion on 13th May was the Minister for Infrastructure Christos Dimas, who presented an overview of the current state of infrastructure works in Crete, focusing mainly on the VOAK. His talk was illustrated with videos taken in April showing work in progress on the different sections of the project. The following is a translated transcript of his comments, the full video of which can be seen on the Minister’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fX_avdqXAQ#

A very large amount, around 57% of Cretan citizens consider that the road infrastructure is the number one issue on the island and that is being addressed now. The government is creating the infrastructure which Crete needs. It is not something which will happen in the future. It’s not an announcement. It is a project which is happening and now the citizens can see it.

Exactly a year ago on 9th May 2025, at the same venue, the Cultural Conference Centre of Heraklion, we signed in the presence of the Prime Minister the concession agreement for the longest section of the Northern Road Axis of Crete, Heraklion-Chania, with a length of 157 km – a historic day not only for the island of Crete but for the while country, given that the VOAK is an infrastructure project of national scope which indeed represents the final outstanding motorway project for the Greek state.

[It is] a project which transforms the developmental model of Crete, as its completion will improve road safety, significantly reduce the transit time between the major cities, facilitate the transport of agricultural goods, boost touristic activity and create new jobs not just during the project’s construction but during its operation. It will improve the island’s spatial cohesion and create a modern transport network which responds to present-day and future needs of the island.

Allow me at this point to present the progress of the project and also the ministry’s planning for the period of its completion, starting from the west and the incorporation of the Kissamos-Chania option with a length of 30 km, which I remind you was activated 7 months earlier than was scheduled…. The activation of this option signals the start of construction of the basic section of the VOAK which is being implemented as a Concession – the section Kissamos-Chania-Hersonissos-Heraklion with a total length of 187 km. Consequently, in less than a year from the signing of the agreement, construction sites have already been put into operation for the bypasses at Chania, Rethymnon and Heraklion. Work on the remaining two sections began earlier. Let us not forget that we have the Public/Private partnership [on the section] from Hersonissos to Neapoli and the publicly-funded section in the Nomos of Lasithi from Neapoli to Agios Nikolaos.

Thus at the moment construction sites are operating on all three sections of the VOAK and a closed motorway is being created with a total length of 225 km from Kissamos to Agios Nikolaos in Lasithi. It is the only road axis with the technical characteristics of a motorway which is being constructed on an island, with a typical configuration of two traffic lanes in each direction, an emergency lane and a central barrier for the complete separation of the two traffic streams. With very impressive and demanding technical works, on the three sections we will also have a total of 32 multi-level interchanges – ensuring full connection with cities, harbours and airports – a total of 26 tunnels with a total length of around 36 km, 22 cut-and cover-constructions with a total length of around 12 km, 93 bridges with a total length of around 19 km, and 125 over- and underpasses.

An important detail is that in many of these interventions we have already taken account of the requirements of local communities. Because with this work the state is fulfilling its obligations towards Cretan society and is building a safe highway which serves the day-to-day movements of the inhabitants. The VOAK is being created for the Cretans, it is not being created for the tourists. First of all the VOAK must serve the needs of local communities. (Of course it will also serve the island’s guests.)

The most important thing is safety, and since we mean this in practice, until the completion of the new highway we are making immediate road safety changes to the existing road axis with the aim of reducing road accidents. Separating cones, signs, cutting of vegetation, tree pruning, lighting, reflectors, road markings, resurfacing. All of these at the most dangerous points which we have identified through very good cooperation with the Traffic Police and with the Region over a distance of around 131 km – similar measures to those which we installed on the old Patras-Pyrgos highway. Over there, with the measures taken by the Infrastructure and Transport Ministry from December 2023, we managed to eliminate head-on collisions and to reduce fatal accidents by 85%.

So we are not waiting for the new VOAK to drive more safely. Works have already been completed on the sections from Chania to Kolymbari and from the Heraklion landfill site at Fodele to Linoperamata. While I can now officially announce that road safety works have started at three more points – from Souda to Georgioupoli, Rethymnon to Geropotamos and Petres to Atsipopoulou. By the summer we will have completed not only the three sections which are already in progress but two more, to make five in total. The last two sections are from Kissamos to Kolymbari and from Geropotamos to the Heraklion landfill. By then we will have in operation seven interventions which will improve road safety, as the death toll we have been incurring on the northern road axis of Crete cannot continue.

Returning, then, to the more general plan, with the guidance of the Prime Minister the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport is funding studies to take the VOAK as far as Sitia and provide Crete with a safe, modern highway axis from its western to its eastern end. Consequently the VOAK will be for all of us from Kissamos to Sitia.

Of course for all emblematic public works the completion time is a critical objective, and for this reason we are carrying out continuous on-site checks and working intensively to make sure that the works are proceeding according to schedule. I would remind you that the concession has a total duration of 35 years which comprises a five-year construction period and 30 years of operation.

At this point I want to emphasise that there is excellent cooperation with both the first and second levels of local government to overcome all the difficulties which arise. And indeed before today’s conference we have had a very important meeting with the Region – with the Regional Governor and his deputies – and with the Traffic Police where we settled a number of issues. I want however to make special reference, since I can see the mayors and MPs who have played a decisive role in enabling us to progress issues relating to the VOAK much more quickly.

We have already given the order, Mr Mayor, to put in hand the studies for the very important traffic arrangements which we will be making in Heraklion. And when we said that the Northern Road Axis of Crete will be there to serve local needs, i.e. the needs of the Cretans, we mean it in practice, and for that reason we have adopted the vast majority of the proposals which have been made both by the Municipality of Heraklion and that of Malevizi so that we can have much better results. I remember you and the three Heraklion MPs telling me with great dismay that we don’t want the VOAK to divide Heraklion down the middle. Not only will the VOAK not divide Heraklion down the middle, on the contrary the VOAK will solve chronic problems encountered both by the Municipality of Heraklion and that of Malevizi, providing important solutions to the everyday problems encountered by citizens.

The same applies – where is the Mayor of Rethymnon? – there you are Mr Mayor. The same applies also for Rethymnon. And with you too we have excellent cooperation and I want to say it publicly. Yes, the bypass, the perimeter road is something to which we have committed ourselves. We have already started all the necessary procedures for the city of Rethymnon to have the perimeter road, so that we can feel safer but also to serve the needs of the local community.

Correspondingly, for Chania I want to say that our obvious priority is to connect the Northern Road Axis of Crete both with Souda and at the same time with Chania Airport. And there are other supplementary works which are needed, anti-flooding works which will also be incorporated.

I repeat, our aim is to construct a motorway, the most modern motorway in Greece, which will serve primarily the needs of the Cretans, but also of course of our guests in Crete.

Mr Dimas went on to describe progress on the new Heraklion Airport at Kastelli which, he said is almost 70% completed, with the control tower now under construction and contractors being appointed for the navigational and electrical installations.