
The two countries will each be responsible for developing their own traffic facilities on land as part of the project. The treaty between Denmark and Germany stipulates that the link is a Danish-owned project, designating that Denmark will plan, construct, operate and finance the coast-coast link. The cost will be financed through user payment and EU subsidies. While the link is a joint project between Denmark and Germany, Denmark has assumed all responsibility for its implementation. (12.4-mile) tunnel option is selected, it will be the longest of its type in the world. The estimated cost for the bridge alone is �4.4 billion (US$6.2 billion). It will include a double-track railway and four-lane highway. The current timetable calls for the type of link to be determined by 2012 and construction to be completed by 2018. Engineering firms are now looking at both options. The current preferred link is a cable-stayed bridge, but an immersed tunnel is also being considered. The proposed Fehmarnbelt link will be an important conduit between Denmark and Germany. Egnatia directly links Greece with Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey through nine vertical connections. Egnatia is a collector route for the Balkan and southeast Europeean transport system, and several regional European transportation corridors connect to the highway. The Greek government anticipates the roadway will open many new investment opportunities in areas such as logistics, manufacturing and tourism.


On a European level, Egnatia will link the major industrial centers of the West with the East. It provides an improved link with the Greek metropolitan area of Thessaloniki. Greek officials believe the route will regain its regional significance in trade, investment and commerce. The original highway was one of the major links to Rome. The route also includes 43 river crossings and 11 railway crossings.Įgnatia approximately traces a major trade route of the ancient world, the Via Egnatia, built in 130 B.C. Approximately half the project's cost was spent on bridges and tunnels. The Egnatia Motorway features 1,650 major bridges and 76 tunnels along its route as it passes through 330 towns and villages. The European Union, the Greek Government and the European Investment Bank have financed the project. (416 miles) from the port city of Igoumenitsa on Greece's western border to the city of Kipi on Greece's eastern border with Turkey. The �6.7-billion (US$9.5-billion) project stretches 670 km.

Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis opened the final section of the highway in May 2009. By any standard, the Egnatia Motorway, is one of the world's great infrastructure accomplishments. One of the world's major infrastructure achievements is nearing completion in Greece.

That trend continues as major new investments stretching from Great Britain to Greece are at various stages of development. Thus do transportation infrastructure and the destination points it links continue their perpetual dance of development.Įurope has been rich with supersized infrastructure projects over the past decade, with spectacular bridges, highways and tunnels taking shape to help speed cargo and citizens alike. L ogistics and distribution locations are only as good as the lines on the map that connect them.
