2024-04-06 18:02:01
The mayor of Ioannina, Thomas Begas, expressed his concern regarding the concession of Egnatia Road to a private individual and the effects it will have on our region as well, speaking of consequences that cannot leave the Municipality of Ioannina indifferent, as the first toll increase will be followed by two more.
Mr. Begas initially emphasized that we should not forget where we were as a region before Egnatia was completed and how much it helped our extroversion. “Whether we are talking about tourism, trade, or other economic sectors, which were strengthened by its construction and operation. Something that of course intensified with the completion of the Ionian road. So having a modern highway, which brought us out of isolation and indeed with a fairly affordable transit cost, Ioannina and Epirus seized the opportunity and opened up to the rest of Greece. Now this is about to change, as the cost of using the road will skyrocket and reach the levels of other highways, which have been granted to large private companies, which certainly cannot be considered positive, not even for ordinary citizens who want to move through of Egnatia for recreational purposes, nor for businesses that transport their products. So we are talking about a burden that will probably affect main sectors of our economy”, said Mr. Begas initially.
At the same time, he noted that the exemptions of citizens from paying tolls may have been maintained, but this is not something that will definitely apply forever.
Finally, he expressed his concern about a possible traffic ban for trucks from the side network of Egnatia on the lines of what has already been done on the Ioannina – Arta highway, following the actions of the concessionaire of the Ionian road.
“For all the above reasons, I express my strong concern about this development, knowing of course that the decisions have been made and are underway”, concluded Mr. Begas.
Pantelis Kolokas, the head of the “Ioannina Beautiful City” faction, also mentioned this matter, noting, however, that many pending road projects, such as the entrance to the city, as well as the junction in Drisco, are due to the negligence of the local authorities. “They find and do,” he noted, with Thomas Bega replying that in projects of such a scale, such as Egnatia Road, it is difficult to hear the voice of the local bodies.