History

It used to be entirely a 2-lane highway and ended near Katerini until 1973. The section Athens - Lamia opened in August 1962 as a 14m width road. The section Lamia - Larissa opened in October 1967 as a 14m width road. The section Larissa - Katerini opened in September 1959 as a 13m width road (except the Tempi valley pass opened as 10m road). The section Katerini - Thessaloniki opened in September 1973 as a 14m width road. The section Axios junction - Evzoni (border) opened in July 1973. The section Axios junction - Polykastro opened as a 14m width road, while the section Polykastro - Evzoni (border) opened as a highway.

When it was extended to Thessaloniki and to the FYROM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) border, the highway had 4-lanes. It was extended during construction in the north in the 1980s and the south in the early and mid 1990s which began near the Afidnes toll. In 1995 the Greek National Road 1 had motorway characteristics in sections Athens - Thebes and Kleidi - Thessaloniki, while the section Thebes - Kleidi was an undivided 14 m road. In 1998, the motorway had 6-lanes up to north of Thebes, and 4 lanes from Thebes up to the Tempe Valley with a few sections at western Magnesia still having 2 lanes. Since then, the Larissa bypass has been constructed. In 2005, it complies with all motorway standards for most of its length, except for 78 km around the Maliakos Bay and 26 km through the Tempe Valley, further to the north. Plans to be upgraded to motorway at these parts are underway, with bypasses at the Maliakos Gulf part, and a new tunnel at the Tempe Valley part. However, many delays frequently arise. Construction has started around the Maliakos Bay that are due to be completed in late 2007 or early 2008. A tunnel that was planned through the Maliakos and was used in some maps has been removed or unplanned. The full upgrade to motorway standards at these two parts is not expected to be completed before 2012.

In 1996, one of the bridges in northern Greece (near Leptokarya) was ruined by flooding, resulting into the blocking of traffic. The motorway was also closed down temporarily during the 2004 and the 2006 snowstorms. Several automobiles and vehicles were stranded during these snowstorms especially at the Afidnes toll booth.

On Wednesday October 11, 2006, the low-pressure system that brought heavy rains to East-Central Macedonia and parts of eastern Thessaly caused heavy mudslides causing the road at the 165th to the 170th km near Kameni Vourla to be turned into mud and a part of the rim was damaged by flowing waters. A section of the embankment collapsed with mud to pour onto the superhighway. Motorists were heavily stranded in their vehicles including trucks which had a nearly 1 km lineup on the southbound lanes, cars were struggling to drive over the mud that it took hours to pass through even though the highway was closed during the catastrophic event.

Interchanges

The toll motorway passes through towns and cities, which, ordered from south to north, are. The exits are still unnumbered even though it is posted in some cases:

• Attiki Odos (8th km) - interchange
  
• Tatoiou Street - interchange - 12th km
  
• Interchange with Lykovryssi and Athens' Sewage Plant - 14th km
  
• Interchange with the old Olympic Village- 15th km
  
• Interchange with Kifissia (from northbound) - formerly an intersection - 16th km
  
• Ekali-Varympompi (Nea Eritrea) (17th km) - interchange
  
• west of Agios Stefanos (21st km)
  
• Varybombi - Agios Stefanos interchange (25th km)
  
• near Afidnes and the Apihdna toll booth/station and to Varympompi (northern part) (28th km)
  
• Interchange to Kalamos
  
• Interchange to Malakasa and Skala Oropou as well as Avlona (rarelt Greek National Road 79)
  
• Interchange to Oinofyta and Dilessi
  
• Schimatari Tolls
  
• Schimatari Interchange - access to Euboea and Tanagra (GR-44
  
• Eleon Interchange - access to west of Chalkida and to Euboea
  
• Thiva Interchange - north and east of Thiva/Thebes (GR-3)
  
• Kastron Interchange
  
• Martini Interchange, access to Atalanti
  
• Malessina Interchange
  
• Traiana Interchange
  
• Skala Interchange
  
• Livanati Interchange
  
• Arkitsa Interchange
  
• Agios Konstantinos Interchange
  
• Regkini Interchange
  
• Construction zone - westward
  
• Future junction with an unplanned tunnel
  
• Kamena Vourla Interchange
  
• Skarfeia Interchange
  
• Molos Interchange
  
• Mendenitsa Interchange
  
• Amfissa Interchange (GR-27)
  
• Lamia (208th km) - (GR-3) - old national road
  
• Lamia North (213rd/214th km) - (GR-28 (Agrinio - Karpenisi Lamia Road)
  
• Stylida Interchange
  
• Raches Interchange
  
• Pelasgas Toll
  
• Agios Theodoros Interchange
  
• Almyros-Efxinoupoli Interchange
  
• Krokio Interchange
  
• Mikrothiva Interchange (GR-30)
  
• Velestino/Volos (first constructed as two separate interchanges) - (GR-6, GR 30 and GR-34)
  
• Rizomylos Interchange
  
• Myra Interchange
  
• Nikaia/Larissa South - with the old National Road and [to GR-3 and GR-6
  
• Melissochori/Larissa East (GR-6 (Larissa - Trikala Road)
  
• Akro/Larissa North Interchange - with the old National road and to GR-3 of the Larissa north By-Pass (Elassona, Tirnavos and Kozani)
  
• Evangelismos
  
• former road junctions
  
• Tempe Toll
  
• the Tempe Valley (2-lanes)
  
• Platamonas Interchange
  
• Skotina Interchange
  
• Leptokaria Toll
  
• Leptokarya Interchange
  
• Litochoro Interchange
  
• Dio Interchange
  
• Nea Efesos Interchange
  
• Katerini Centre Interchange (GR-13 (Katerini - Elassona Road)
  
• Katerini-Paralia
  
• east of Katerini
  
• Korinos Interchange
  
• Makrygialos Interchange, serves to Sfendami and Pydna
  
• Methoni Interchanges, also serves to Nea Agathoupoli
  
• Aiginio Interchange
  
• Aliakmon River
  
• Kleidi Junction, junction of E90/GR-4, the Via Egnatia (west)
  
• junction of E90 to Thessaloniki
  
• Loudias River, Imathia - Thessaloniki prefectural boundary
  
• Nea Malgara Interchange
  
• Nea Malgara Tolls
  
• Axios River
  
• Axios Junction - junction of Via Egnatia to Thessaloniki and the bypass
  
• Chalastra Interchange
  
• Gefyra Junction - junction with GR-2 (Edessa - Thessaloniki Road)
  
• Vathylakos Interchange
  
• Prochoma Interchange
  
• Polykastro-Kilkis Interchange
  
• Evzoni Interchange, near Evzoni
  
• FYROM Border (access with M1)

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