The Greek government and construction firm GEK TERNA signed a concession agreement on Thursday for the Heraklion–Chania section of the Northern Road Axis of Crete (VOAK), marking a major milestone in the island’s largest infrastructure project.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis attended the signing ceremony, calling it “a great day for Crete.”
“After difficulties and many obstacles, we are signing the Heraklion – Chania concession contract with an option up to Kissamos. A commitment that I had personally undertaken and now I am in the happy position to complete,” he said.
The signed section spans 157 kilometers and will be studied, financed, and constructed by GEK TERNA. The project, budgeted at approximately €2 billion, includes two traffic lanes in each direction, 26 tunnels, over 10 kilometers of new bridges, and upgrades to dozens of level crossings. The total length of the Chania–Heraklion section, including the optional Kissamos extension, reaches 187 kilometers. The full VOAK corridor is approximately 300 kilometers long.
The concession is set for a 35-year period, including up to five years for design and construction.
Mitsotakis also pledged that studies for the Pachia Ammos–Sitia section would proceed immediately, aiming for a unified road from Kissamos to Sitia. “We will overcome obstacles and the VOAK will be delivered on schedule,” he added.
This section of the road has been contentious. Locals have voiced growing frustration over the exclusion of Eastern Crete from the main highway, citing pre-election promises of a continuous route from Kissamos to Sitia. Tensions were heightened in April when Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Nikos Tachiaos downplayed the priority of the Agios Nikolaos segment and later omitted the section entirely in an official interview, citing limited state resources.
While the signing was underway on Friday, residents and organizations from Eastern Crete gathered outside the Heraklion Cultural and Conference Center in protest. Backed by the Municipality of Sitia, they demanded immediate inclusion of the Agios Nikolaos–Sitia section in the VOAK plans.
GEK TERNA is the largest investor in Greece’s concession and public-private partnership (PPP) projects, with an extensive portfolio including the new Heraklion International Airport and major waste management and motorway initiatives across the country.
