New road will transform northern Evia, Mitsotakis says
A new 56km road that will run through the northern part of the Evia which this summer was the scene of biggest wildfire recorded in Greece, “will end the road isolation” of the region and facilitate its reconstruction, the prime minister said on Tuesday.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis was speaking after chairing a five-hour meeting in Isteia, northern Evia, on the area’s reconstruction following August’s fires.
The meeting discussed the reconstruction plan being drawn up by a committee under Stavros Benos, who as mayor spearheaded the reconstruction of earthquake-stricken Kalamata.
Mitsotakis said one of the plan’s key projects is the new road from Halkida – where a bridge connects to the mainland – and Strofylia, in the northern part of the island.
“We are talking about a new, 56km road that will significantly reduce travel from northern Evia to Halkida … and which will transform the nature of road infrastructure in northern Evia,” Mitsotakis said.
The new road is expected to reduce the journey between Halkida and Strofylia by 40 minutes.
The reconstruction plan, which Benos presented to the cabinet last month, includes two basic components, the prime minister said: immediate relief and forest work to prevent winter floods. Both have been implemented, the latter due to “great work done in collaboration with people experienced in forests, forest cooperatives and local assistance” to clear areas and use destroyed trees to build dams, he said.
Concluding his discussion, Mitsotakis said the project is long term. “We have the funding, the willingness, the experience, and the knowledge to implement it, but we shall do so only in agreement with local society, taking into account at all times your proposals, objections, reservations, and creative ideas that you will be able to present throughout this process.”
To this effect, Benos said that a new platform has been launched called “Evia Meta,” which invites submissions and proposals from citizens, agencies, professionals, local and regional authorities, societies and civil society. [AMNA]
