The decision to exercise the option for the Chania-Kissamos extension of the VOAK was signed on 15th December by the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Christos Dimas, in the presence of the Deputy Minister Nikos Tachiaos and the General Secretary for Infrastructure Dimitris Anagnopoulos. A major turnout of local government figures and MPs signalled not only its importance for the local community but also, as explained by the ministers, its critical importance in the execution of the project as a whole. It was also a reassuring move for the residents of West Crete, who when the extension was first announced as an optional addition to the main contract, feared that the prospects for its completion might fade into the distance.