Attiki Odos: new motorway toll could fall to €2.50
The government will lower tolls for the use of a major ring road in Athens in a renewed concession agreement after 2024, as part of efforts to alleviate the pressure on drivers facing rising living costs, its infrastructure minister said on Friday.
Greek construction groups Ellaktor and Avax now operate the Attica Motorway, a 70-km road bypassing a usually congested Athens centre.
The current motorway concessionaire is joining French group Ardian in a consortium while local construction group GEK Terna is participating in a consortium with the First Sentier.
Other shortlisted contenders for the 25-year contract are Abertis Infraestructuras; a consortium of the Copelouzos Group and Macquarie, a consortium comprising Vauban, DIF and EGIS; Gruppo Fininc–Inc; a consortium of Vinci Highways, Vinci Concessions, Mytilineos and Mobility Partner; and a consortium made up of Brisa–Auto Estradas de Portugal and Rubicone Bidco.
The process will wrap up with the submission of binding bids for which the deadline is still unspecified.
Following a decision by the infrastructure ministry, the binding bids should be based on the assumption that users will be charged 2.50 euros per vehicle, Greek Infrastructure Minister Kostas Karamanlis said in a statement on Friday.
Under the current contract, drivers are paying a single charge of 2.80 euros for all routes once they enter the highway.
The current concessionaire, Attiki Odos SA, collected more than €3.3 billion in tolls from the start of the concession in 2005 to 2021. [Reuters, Kathimerini]
