Greek National Road 8A

National road 8a
Route information
History:	Constructed 1962–1973
Major junctions
East end:	Kifissou avenue (Athens)
	9 7 A7
West end:	Patras
Location
Major cities:	Athens, Corinth, Patras
Highway system
National roads in Greece

A non-motorway part of the road

Greek National Road 8A (GR-8A or EO8A) is a toll road beginning from Kifissou avenue, in Athens to the northeast of Patras. From Kifissou avenue up to Corinth, the route it has been upgraded to motorway standards (to form part of the future A8 (Olympia Odos)), while for about 85 km and the rest is an undivided highway with just one lane per direction.

The total length of the route is 215 km, and forms part of European route E94 from Kifissou Ave in Athens to southwest of Corinth, part of European route E65 from Corinth to the Rio interchange, and part of European route E55 from Rion to north of Patras.

Construction

The road near the Corinth interchange.

Aithra tunnel, Kakia Skala

The total length of the GR-8A was delivered gradualy between 1962 to 1973, replacing the older GR8. The section which first opened in Novemeber of 1962, was the Athens–Corinth route, forming part of European route E94 (although the section Megara–Kineta (Kakia Skala pass) opened in late 1964, with motorway characteristics). The section Corinth–Patras was the next to follow in 1969, as a 14m width undivided road (except for the Aegion bypass, which opened in 1973 also with motorway characteristics).

Throughout the 1990s, the E94 part of the route was upgraded to motorway standards; while between 1999 and 2006, further upgrades took place at the Kakia Skala pass, converting a rather narrow and hazardous section of motorway into a state-of-the-art modern motorway, with 3 lanes per direction and a network of five tunnels and several bridges. Today a major overhaul of the GR-8A is under construction, with all its length being converted into modern motorway; that is to form part of the A8 (Olympia Odos), from Eleusina to Patras.

Route overview

Here are the complete listings of marking of the GR-8A, Patras-Corinth / Corinth-Athens Road, also known as Athens-Patras New National Road. Posts are marked going west. The markings here are not by exit numbers:

Kilometre	Features, Interchanges, Junctions
4	easternmost point of E94
5	Thevon Avenue Interchange
27	Thebes-Eleuthriae Interchange, now cloverleaf
28	Athens Tollway (spur) junction, opened in 2004
30	Eleusis toll booth
35	Neos Peramos Interchange
42	Megara/Old National Road (GR8) Interchange (westbound cloverleaf)
43	Megara Rest Area, opened 1999
44	Megara-Pachi Interchange (cloverleaf)
46	easternmost point of Kakia Skala
52	Westernmost point of Kakia Skala
52	Old Kineta Interchange (closed 2001)
54	New Kineta Interchange (cloverleaf), opened 1995
57	Attica-Corinthia prefectural (departmental/provincial) boundary
62	Aghioi Theodoroi Toll Interchange
68	north of the refinery
72	Isthmia Toll booth
73	view of Kalamaki
74	Corinth-Loutraki (Old GR-9) interchange (westbound), old toll booth
75	Epidaurus (GR-70) Interchange
77	underpass
78	West Corinth-Examili Interchange
80	Tripoli (GR-7 E65) Junction, end of E94
82	Argos, Nauplion-Lechaeum (GR-7) Interchange
90	Corinth rest area (eastbound)
91	Corinth Toll booth or station
102	South Kiato Rest Area
106 and 107	2 overpasses
108	Elissus/Elissos River
109	Kiaton-Stymphalia Interchange
110	Kiaton Rest Area (westbound)
125	Xylokastron-Trikkala Interchange
146	Parking area (both directions)
147	Akrata-Aigiera Interchange
154	ELPA Rest Area
158	Kalavrita-Diacopton(um) Interchange
171	Texaco Bon Voyage sign (torn down)
172	Aegion-Pterion-Kalavrita Interchange
173	GR31 overpass
174	Aegion Rest Area (Shell gas station/gasbar)
175	West Aegion
177	West Aegion/Old GR-9 Interchange, (eastbound, partial) (cloverleaf)
181	Longos-Selianitika-Old GR-8 Interchange
182	view of Longos
183	view of Selianitika
184	Low railway bridge
187	Achaea and the Peloponnese's Northernmost point
205	Rhion Toll booth or station
206	Rhion Junction, access to Rio–Antirrio bridge, Rio and the old road
207	Patras Interchange, also access to Panachaiko, access to Patras Bypass, opened 2003
209 to 211 (2 to 4)	Patras Tunnel
209	University of Patras-Proasteia Junction
212	Pyrgos-Port of Patras Junction (opened 1996)
213	Aretha Street Jct. (Skiessa-Hagyia) (former fourth route)
214	Amerikis Street Jct. (fmr. third route)
215	Panepistemeiou Street
216	Downtown Patras

Further Information

There are 4 toll stations in the GR-8A at this time, of which include the Eleusis Toll booth, the Isthmia toll booth, the Corinth toll Booth, and Rion toll booth. Before the completion of the Rio–Antirrio bridge, the GR-8a was the only road connecting the Peloponnese to the rest of Greece. The motorway part has 3 lanes per direction. Rest areas are located in Megara, Corinth, between Corinth and Kiato, the old ELPA about 10 km west of Aigeira and Aigio.

Patras Bypass

View of the bypass.

The Patras Bypass is a motorway that runs from the Mintilogli exit (GR-9), 8.8 km S of Patras up to the Patras exit, nearly 7 km N of the city. Planning of the bypass began in the 1980s, but construction didn't begin until the 1990s, in the region between Roitika and Mintilogli. Construction reached Dimokratias Street (GR-33) in 1992, the Glafkos river in about the mid-1990s, and the tunnels were constructed in the late-1990s, until 2001. In October 2002, the bypass was opened to traffic. As a result, traffic in downtown Patras has significantly decreased. It was closed for a few days a month after its opening as a result of a mudslide, but was reopened after repairs. The bypass has five interchanges (four full and one partial with a northbound exit at the beginning). It is part of Olympia Odos (or Motorway A9) for southbound lanes of the bypass, (N) indicates northbound lanes and (S) indicates southbound lanes on the bottom part of the chart.

Order (south)	Junction
Patras Bypass
1	4 tunnels
EXIT 2 (S)/4 (N):	Eglykada Interchange
EXIT 3	Glafkos Interchange
EXIT 4 (S)/2 (N):	Ovrya Interchange, access to GR-33
EXIT 1 (N):	Mintilogli Interchange, access to Patras (N), access to GR-9 (S)

See also

• Highways in Greece