A3 Central Greece Motorway (E65), Lamia – Egnatia Odos
Greece's A3, the Central Greece Motorway, known as the E65: 182.1 km of new motorway with two lanes and a hard shoulder each way, from a half-junction on the A1 near Lamia (A1 km 206.5) past Karditsa, Trikala and Kalambaka to the Egnatia Odos (A2) near Grevena. Kentriki Odos, a GEK TERNA company, holds the concession signed in May 2007, and TERNA built the road. Works began in 2009 and stopped in 2011. A restructured concession of December 2013 built only the Xyniada – Trikala middle section, opened in December 2017; the southern section to the A1 followed in 2021 and 2024 on NSRF 2014–2020 money, and the northern section in 2024 and July 2026 on Recovery and Resilience Facility money. Kentriki Odos gave the budget as about EUR 1.397 billion in 2024; Kathimerini put the final cost to the Greek state and the EU at about EUR 2.1 billion. Lots follow the five openings, not the three construction sections.
- Total length
- 183 km
- Open today
- 183 km
- Sections
- 5
Sections
| Sections | Status | Length | Timeline | Cost | Funding | Contractors | Contract terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthili (A1) – Karpenisi interchange From the half-junction with the A1 near Anthili (A1 km 206.5, start of the E65) to the Karpenisi interchange (EO38, Lamia West). Opened 16 July 2021 as the first 14 km of the 32 km southern section; English Wikipedia notes it opened without the Lamia interchange and the Lianokladi rest area. The southern section's works resumed in December 2018 after the 2011 stoppage. Length as reported by ypodomes.com at the April 2024 opening. | Opened | 14 km |
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| Karpenisi interchange – Xyniada From the Karpenisi interchange to the Xyniada interchange (E65 km 31.8), where it meets the 2017 middle section. Includes the twin Othrys tunnel (T2), about 3 km long. Opened with Trikala – Kalambaka on 23 April 2024, giving 136 km of continuous motorway from the A1 to Kalambaka. Length as reported by ypodomes.com at the opening. | Opened | 18 km |
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| Xyniada – Trikala Middle section from the Xyniada interchange (E65 km 31.8) to the Trikala interchange (E65 km 111.4), with the Smokovo, Anavra, Sofades, Karditsa, Proastio and Longos junctions and toll stations at Sofades and Trikala. Length from those chainages; ypodomes.com calls it 80 km. Opened to traffic at 11:00 on 22 December 2017. First works on the concession began in 2009, before the 2011 stoppage. | Opened | 80 km |
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| Contract value €546.974M |
| Trikala – Kalambaka From the Trikala interchange (E65 km 111) to the Kalambaka interchange (about E65 km 136), with the Vasiliki junction and side toll stations at Trikala and Kalambaka. Before the 2011 stoppage this stretch was 25% built, with EUR 30.9 million of works done. Opened with Karpenisi – Xyniada on 23 April 2024. Length as reported by ypodomes.com at the opening. The 2021 amendment split the northern section differently, at the Grevena interchange: Trikala – Grevena 32.45 km and Grevena – Egnatia 38.05 km. | Opened | 25 km |
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| Kalambaka – Egnatia Odos (Kipoureio) From the Kalambaka interchange to the Egnatia Odos (A2) interchange at Kipoureio, about 15 km west of Grevena, by way of the Mourgani (Grevena), Oxyneia and Agiofyllo – Karpero junctions, with the Oxyneia toll station. Beyond E65 km 136 it follows a new, lower alignment to Kipoureio instead of the original end at Panagia. Inaugurated on 23 July 2026 and opened to traffic at 14:30 on 24 July 2026, completing the 182.1 km. | Opened | 46 km |
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Contractor roles are as recorded in the award. Only builders count toward the delivery rankings.
Funding
- European Union183 km5 sections
- Southern section Lamia – Xyniada (this lot and Karpenisi – Xyniada) financed from the NSRF (ESPA) 2014–2020. The European Commission approved EUR 306 million of Greek public funding to Kentriki Odos as State aid on 19 October 2018, matching the inflation-adjusted construction cost estimated in the 2007 tender. ypodomes.com gave the section's total cost as EUR 305 million in July 2021.
- Southern section Lamia – Xyniada (this lot and Anthili – Karpenisi) financed from the NSRF (ESPA) 2014–2020. The European Commission approved EUR 306 million of Greek public funding to Kentriki Odos as State aid on 19 October 2018, matching the inflation-adjusted construction cost estimated in the 2007 tender. ypodomes.com gave the section's total cost as EUR 305 million in July 2021.
- Third Community Support Framework (2000–2006) and NSRF (ESPA) 2007–2013.
- Northern section Trikala – Egnatia Odos (this lot and Kalambaka – Egnatia Odos) funded in full from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (component 4.6, measure 16628). Budget EUR 442.1 million for the 70.5 km, plus EUR 38 million for expropriation and archaeology; the concession amendment signed in June 2021 committed the construction and Parliament ratified it in July 2021.
- Northern section Trikala – Egnatia Odos (this lot and Trikala – Kalambaka) funded in full from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (component 4.6, measure 16628). Budget EUR 442.1 million for the 70.5 km, plus EUR 38 million for expropriation and archaeology; the concession amendment signed in June 2021 committed the construction and Parliament ratified it in July 2021.
- Public-private partnership80 km1 section
- Private capital of the concessionaire.
A section that lists two sources counts its full length under each: the data records which sources paid, not what share each one carried.
Related projects
- HighwaysA1 Motorway Athens – Thessaloniki – Evzonoi (PATHE)Same contractor: TERNA
- HighwaysA5 Ionia Odos (Antirrio – Ioannina)Same contractor: TERNA
- HighwaysA7 Moreas Motorway (Corinth – Tripoli – Kalamata) and A71 Lefktro – SpartiSame contractor: TERNA
- HighwaysA8 Olympia Odos MotorwaySame contractor: TERNA
- HighwaysBOAK Northern Crete Motorway (Kissamos – Agios Nikolaos)Same contractor: TERNA
- HighwaysA2 Egnatia Odos (Igoumenitsa – Kipoi)Same country and category
Sources
- Wikipedia: A3 motorway (Greece)read Sep 28, 2026
- Greek Wikipedia: Αυτοκινητόδρομος Κεντρικής Ελλάδαςread Sep 28, 2026
- Kentriki Odos: Ε65: Σε κυκλοφορία 182,1 χλμ. σύγχρονου & ασφαλούς αυτοκινητοδρόμου (24 July 2026)read Sep 28, 2026
- Kentriki Odos: Οι Αυτοκινητόδρομοί μας, Περιγραφή Έργου (E65 from A1 km 206.5 to the Egnatia interchange, 182.1 km)read Sep 28, 2026
- Kentriki Odos: Κατασκευή & Χρηματοδότησηread Sep 28, 2026
- eKathimerini: Greece opens final section of E65 motorway after 18-year construction delay (23 July 2026)read Sep 28, 2026 · archived copy
- ypodomes.com: Η Δυτική Θεσσαλία αποκτά τον δικό της αυτοκινητόδρομο, στην κυκλοφορία το Ξυνιάδα-Τρίκαλα του Ε65 (22 December 2017)read Sep 28, 2026 · archived copy
- European Commission: State aid: Commission approves €306 million in Greek public funding for the construction of southern section of E65 motorway (IP/18/6154, 19 October 2018)read Sep 28, 2026
- ypodomes.com: Στη Βουλή προς κύρωση το βόρειο τμήμα του Ε65, Τρίκαλα-Εγνατία (6 July 2021)read Sep 28, 2026
- ypodomes.com: Με ευρεία πλειοψηφία ψηφίστηκε η τροποποίηση της σύμβασης που ολοκληρώνει τον αυτοκινητόδρομο Ε65 (9 July 2021)read Sep 28, 2026
- ypodomes.com: Παραδόθηκαν τα πρώτα 14 χλμ του Ε65 (16 July 2021)read Sep 28, 2026
- ypodomes.com: Αυτοκινητόδρομος Ε65: Ξεκίνησαν τα έργα για το βόρειο τμήμα Τρίκαλα-Εγνατία (26 August 2021)read Sep 28, 2026
- ypodomes.com: Σε κυκλοφορία ακόμη 136 χλμ. του Αυτοκινητοδρόμου Κεντρικής Ελλάδος – Ε65 από ΑΘΕ έως Καλαμπάκα (Kentriki Odos announcement, 23 April 2024)read Sep 28, 2026
- ypodomes.com: Central Greece's new E65 motorway: two more sections are now completed and open for traffic (23 April 2024)read Sep 28, 2026
- ypodomes.com: Μετά από 19 χρόνια ολοκληρώνεται πλήρως ο αυτοκινητόδρομος Ε65 – Το ιστορικό, το κόστος (23 July 2026)read Sep 28, 2026
- European Commission, Recovery and Resilience Facility: Central Greece Highway E-65 (reference C4.6, measure ID 16628)read Sep 28, 2026
- OpenStreetMap contributors (geometry, ODbL)read Sep 28, 2026