The consortium, Aegean Motorways, in which HOCHTIEF PPP Solutions has a 35 percent majority shareholding, is officially inaugurating the “Maliakos-Kleidi” section of highway in Greece today. With a length of 230 kilometers, this section is the most important part of the transport corridor between the Greek capital Athens and the country’s second-largest city, Thessaloniki.
The inauguration ceremony is being attended, amongst others, by the Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, and Nikolaus Graf von Matuschka, a member of the HOCHTIEF Executive Board.
“With the commencement of operations on the new Maliakos-Kleidi route as part of Greece’s PATHE highway, the final section of this link has now also been transformed into a modern highway. Now full operations will commence. We will maintain the route in optimum condition for users,” von Matuschka says.
HOCHTIEF designed, financed and built the route in conjunction with Greek and French partners, and is operating it for a period of 30 years, whereby the concession company Aegean Motorways will also be responsible for the upkeep and safety of the route.
The investment volume of the project, which was co-financed by the Greek state, the EU, private investors and banks, is around EUR 1.5 billion. Once construction is completed the consortium will be ensuring smooth and safe operation of the toll road for a further 22 years.