Underwater tunnels in Greece's road network

The idea of underwater tunnels in Greece has been the topic of discussion between the government and its citizens for more than thirty years. In the 1990s, the Greek government started a series of contracts using the concession method for four undersea tunnels. Out of the four tenders issued, only one has seen success, resulting in the creation of the Aktios-Preveza underwater connection. The latter has been operational for approximately two decades.

One of these tunnel projects was the underwater tunnel in Thessaloniki, which was initially proposed in a tender by the Ministry of Finance. The project's budget was set at 472 million euros, and it aimed to construct a tunnel with a total length of 3.8km; 1.24 km would be underwater. The tunnel's starting point was at Koletti Street near the Courts, and its endpoint was Megalo Alexandrou Avenue. The tender was started in 2003 and successfully completed in 2005.

The Lefkada-Etoloakarnania submarine link project, which had been dormant since 2020, witnessed a revival in 2022 when studies to advance the project were initiated. In order to progress further, the project's maturation requires the completion of recent studies, particularly those involving geotechnical and topographic surveys.

The Salamis-Peramas undersea tunnels project has been a matter of concern for many years, with questions about its feasibility. In 2016, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport began the tendering process using the concession method. However, the project remains in phase B, and it has taken a long time to move forward. The estimated cost of the project stands at 450 million euros, while currently, three companies are still actively competing for the project. The next step involves obtaining the necessary environmental licensing.