Tag Archives: VOAK

VOAK traffic restrictions at Kolymbari

The Police Directorate of Chania has announced that emergency traffic restrictions will be in force on the Kissamos-Kolymbari section of the VOAK from 07/09/26 to 17/09/26. According to the announcement, the specified works will be carried out from km 25.5 to km 23.0 [distances from Chania] of the Kissamos-Kolymbari section each night, between the hours of 22:00 and 06:00, with alternating streams controlled by traffic lights. The stretch in question is just west of the Kolymbari interchange.

Seen from a bridge, the highway with safety zones demarcated by white lines and orange cones curves away into the distance.
There will be night-time traffic restrictions on the VOAK just west of Kolymbari from 7th to 17th September 2026.

Drivers are requested to exercise extra care at those points and to obey the provisional signs and the signals of the traffic police.

Restrictions on the Chania bypass
As a reminder of the diversions currently in force on the VOAK at Chania, on 24th August the Police Directorate of Chania announced that traffic restrictions would apply from 25th August because of roadworks on the stretch between Mournies and Vamvakopoulo. No end date was given.

As announced, there are narrowed lanes in the section from km 00.97 (the Mournies interchange) to km 02.03 (before the Vamvakopoulo interchange). For the duration of the restrictions, traffic in both directions will travel on the eastbound (Kissamos to Chania) carriageway, with narrowed lanes and appropriate signage, while the Chania to Kissamos carriageway will be closed.

As a result of the works being carried out, access to and from the westbound carriageway of the VOAK at Mournies will be closed, and only access to and from the eastbound carriageway will be permitted. Emergency vehicles including the Fire Service, Ambulances, the Police, etc, will be exempt from this prohibition, with the contractor ensuring that there is adequate space for the vehicles in question to manoeuvre.

Drivers are again requested to exercise extra care at those points and to obey the signs and the signals of the traffic police.

Road closure at Mournies
Also, part of the parallel road running on the north side of the VOAK at Mournies will be closed to allow the construction of a retaining wall. The section of Skamaga street between the junctions with Thetidos and Sivrisario streets will be closed, with traffic diverted along Thetidos and Sivrisario streets and via underpasses along Megalou Alexandrou street on the south side of the highway. Steps will be taken to allow uninterrupted vehicle access to the dwellings on the closed section of Skamaga street.
(Haniotika Nea, 07/09/26, 24/08/26, 05/09/26)

More traffic restrictions on the VOAK

New traffic restrictions are in force owing to roadworks on three sections of the VOAK in the Regional Unit of Chania.

In the Vrysses area, on the Chania-Georgioupoli section from km 31.7 to km 33.7 (distances from Chania), there will be narrowed traffic lanes 24 hours a day from 1st September to 1st November. Similar measures will be in force in the area of Agios Fanourios from km 28.4 to km 29.7, from 31st August to 31st October, also with narrowed traffic lanes 24 hours a day.

Also, on the Kissamos-Kolymbari section, from km 27.0 to km 25.5 (just east of Melissourgeio), there are alternating streams with traffic lights from the evening of 31st August to 6.00 am on 8th September.

According to Diktaion Parachorisis, the company created in May 2025 by the concession holder GEK TERNA to manage the construction and operation of the Chania-Heraklion section of the VOAK and the Kissamos-Chania extension, in the event that the works in question are completed early, normal traffic may be restored before the scheduled dates.

Drivers are urged to proceed at low speed at the points where works are in progress and to follow the temporary signs and the instructions of the traffic police
(Haniotika Nea, 02/09/26)

Two women stand at a roadside stall selling candles while streams of traffic pass along the VOAK behind them.
   A woman sells candles at a stall beside the VOAK in Apokoronas. The caption reads: “Pilgrimage with caution today and tomorrow at Agios Fanourios.” Photo: Haniotika Nea/Facebook.

Agios Fanourios
The roadworks in the area of Agios Fanourios in Apokoronas start just to the east of the church dedicated to St Fanourios, “the revealer” or saint of things lost. The church stands a short way away from the VOAK and on the saint’s feast day of 27th August attracts crowds of the faithful who in previous years were in the habit of parking beside the VOAK and making their way along the highway on foot – a highly dangerous situation for both pedestrians and passing motorists. This year parking on the highway was blocked and visitors were forced to take the old Chania-Rethymnon road, with special bus services laid on for pedestrians.

Traffic restrictions on the VOAK

Major traffic restrictions have started this week, from Sunday 12th July, due to roadworks on two sections of the VOAK. Long-term restrictions are in place on the sections between the Mournies and Vamvakopoulo interchanges from 12th July to 12th October, while there are works east of Nopigia on the Kissamos-Kolymbari section for 6 nights, also from 12th July.

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Progress on the new VOAK and Heraklion-Kastelli airport

Two important contract signings took place in Crete at the end of last month. On 30th January the Prime Minister visited the construction site of the new Heraklion airport at Kastelli and witnessed the signing of the contract for the air traffic control and other electronic equipment for the new airport. On the same day the Infrastructure Minister Christos Dimas also signed the document marking the start of the concession agreement for the Kissamos-Chania-Heraklion section of the new VOAK, at the offices of the Regional Unit of Chania.

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Traffic changes on the VOAK at Chania

Lane closures at Vamvakopoulo
Because of road works, changes in the traffic flow are in operation until April 2026 on the section of the VOAK between the interchanges at Mournies and Vamvakopoulo. The works represent part of a first phase in the execution of the construction of the Chania-Heraklion section of the new VOAK, namely the upgrading of the city bypasses at Chania, Rethymnon and Heraklion.

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A landmark project for Crete – main VOAK contract signed

On Friday 9th May, in the presence of the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the contract was signed at the Cultural Conference Centre of Heraklion for the construction of the main section of the VOAK, which will run between Chania and Heraklion. The concession agreement covers the planning, construction, operation and maintenance of the longest section of the new motorway, which will have a length of 157 km, plus the adjoining road network. An add-on to the concession is the construction of the western section between Chania and Kissamos, 30 km long, for which plans have already been prepared and updated. Together with this section, the new road will comprise 43 interchanges, 23 tunnels and 89 bridges.

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Progress on infrastructure projects for Crete

“We are ready in the first three months of 2025 to finally sign the contract for the main portion of the VOAK,” the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced during a visit to Rethymnon in early December. He added that works of national importance in Crete, with a budget of millions of euros, are being scheduled for the first time. According to APE-MPE, the Prime Minister said that the government has established from live “fermentation” with the local communities which projects need to be prioritised, noting that the government’s new platform erga.gov.gr constitutes a comprehensive digital repository of works, “answering to one of the basic requirements of government, which is accountability”.

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