Progress on the long-awaited Patras-Pyrgos highway along the western coast of the Peloponnese is near 42% of completion and expected to reach 80% by the end of the year, according to a transport ministry delegation that visited worksites along the infrastructure project on Monday.

The nearly 75-kilometer roadway is scheduled to be delivered by the end of next year, as the construction duration is 40 months.

The concessionaire of the new highway, of which 13 kilometers are improvements to the current provincial roadway, is Olympia Odos, which manages and exploits the closed toll motorway along the north coast of the Peloponnese, connecting the greater Athens-Piraeus region with the western port city of Patras. The construction consortium includes Avax, Aktor and Gek Terna.

Replacing the old provincial Patras-Pyrgos road with a modern closed motorway has been priority for successive governments and local administrations, yet delays have plagued the project for decades. The current road is notorious for the many vehicular accidents, including fatal incidents, over the past years.

“This is an emblematic project, which will breathe new life into western Greece, as well upgrade transport and significantly increase road safety. Watching it being completed I feel particularly proud, as I belong to those who, from the very first moment, fought for its resumption, but in the right way, as it was in danger of being canceled by the SYRIZA government’s foot-dragging.”