Athens is set to reopen Vasilissis Olgas Street in the coming days after long-delayed construction works were completed, city officials said Tuesday.
Mayor Haris Doukas made the announcement on social media, saying, “Works on Vasilissis Olgas have finally been completed! In a few days it will be officially delivered to citizens. The hardship of Athenians has come to an end.”
The road, which essentially connects Mets and Pangrati with Plaka had remained closed for six years, including a period of three and a half years during which no work was carried out.
Doukas said his administration made completion of the project a priority during the campaign period and, within two years, delivered what he described as “a multimodal road, a jewel for Athens.”
Its traffic study was amended during Doukas’ tenure and provides for operation as a low-traffic road, two-way, with a speed limit of 20 kilometers per hour.
The earlier study called for full pedestrianization.
In a statement, former Athens mayor Kostas Bakoyannis noted that Doukas had previously “mocked, ridiculed and opposed” the redevelopment project and did not implement it, attributing its execution to another entity.
“Populism before, populism after. Words in the air. Fortunately, the projects remain,” Bakoyannis said.