Corfu road improvements proceeding at snail’s pace
road improvements
09 Jul 2021
/ 14:41
CORFU. 6 major and 8 minor contract works with a budget of €18m progressing very slowly – Complex and time-consuming bureaucratic procedures.
Potholes, absence of lane markings and signage, subsidence, damaged sections, reeds and tree branches on the verges that limit visibility, dug-up roads - all features of the old road network in Corfu from north to south increasing the risk of accidents.
The cost for Corfu is already high. Human lives have been lost on the road, including young children. The extensive upgrade required for the restoration and modernisation of a large part of the island's 550km road network is a demand from all residents, as, apart from the daily traffic, the problems are increased in summer by tourism.
Complex and time-consuming bureaucratic procedures
However, the ambitious plans of the Ionian Islands Regional Administration for substantial work that will reshape the road map of Corfu are being hampered by the complex and time-consuming bureaucratic procedures required. When they try to prioritize work, the projects are delayed, as the completion of a study alone requires at least 5 months, while the Tender Committees have not convened for a long time due to the pandemic. As a result, all the transitional stages in between have been delayed! Consequently, the road network remains in poor condition.
€18 million
The €18m from the Public Investment Programme that the current Regional Authority inherited from the previous one for the restoration of the damaged road network throughout the island, became available some time ago and the tenders were completed, but contracting is moving at different speeds for each project. “We found only money and codes and turned them into studies and tendered projects," Deputy Regional Governor for Corfu Melita Andrioti told Enimerosi. "The condition of the Corfu road network is in a terrible state and the roads are full of potholes. The Regional Authority is trying to temporarily bring the road network into a tolerable state until the major contract works, which have been planned and tendered, are signed and can move to the next stage. We hope that very soon the projects will be contracted and citizens will see in practice the commencement of important projects for our island." The work will include
retaining walls, barriers, lane markings, signage, guard barriers and road surfacing.
Melita Andrioti - Deputy Regional Governor for Corfu
The projects will include the following:
- Improvement of the main road network in North Corfu: €3,837,850 (the first tender protocol has been approved)
- Improvement of the main Corfu-Kavos road axis and secondary road network in South Corfu: €3,003,000 (passed by the Finance Committee on 2 June, announcement of the first successful bid)
- Improvement of the rural road network in Northwest Corfu: €4,512,500 (passed by the Finance Committee on 21 October, 2020 and is awaiting the Tender Committee to meet)
-Improvement of the Tzavros-Paleokastritsa main road – Connecting rural roads and Central Corfu: €4,577,400 (passed by the Finance Committee on 30 June, the second auction protocol was approved and the project has been awarded to the winning contractor)
-Repair of rural road No 6 (Vouniatades - Agios Mattheos): €1,044,450 (contracted)
-Reconstruction of traffic light system with new remote management system: €1,7m (On 24 June the third protocol was approved and is in the process of being contracted)
8 minor contract works
Meanwhile, to cover the time gap from the tender of the projects until their being contracted, the Ionian Islands Regional Administration is proceededing with eight minor contract works (maintenance of street lighting and traffic lights in north, south and central Corfu, safety signage and fixing of potholes in north and central Corfu, beautification of the road network) with provisional tenders (€60,000 +VAT) to fix the potholes and improve road safety with road markings and beautification until the commencement of major technical and surfacing works, as well as road construction. “To these tenders there will be added another large one with NSRF funding that has not yet been put out to tender and concerns road surface replacement in the Vryoni-Moraitika section with a budget of €5 million,” added Ms.Andrioti.
Funding being sought
At the same time, the Deputy Regional Governor for Infrastructure and Technical Works Manolis Orfanoudakis pointed out that, although the studies for the road safety project in Corfu (€8m budget) have been approved, within the framework of the planning contracts signed by the Ionian Islands Region with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and Egnatia S.A., funding is being sought for its implementation.
The cost for Corfu is already high. Human lives have been lost on the road, including young children. The extensive upgrade required for the restoration and modernisation of a large part of the island's 550km road network is a demand from all residents, as, apart from the daily traffic, the problems are increased in summer by tourism.
Complex and time-consuming bureaucratic procedures
However, the ambitious plans of the Ionian Islands Regional Administration for substantial work that will reshape the road map of Corfu are being hampered by the complex and time-consuming bureaucratic procedures required. When they try to prioritize work, the projects are delayed, as the completion of a study alone requires at least 5 months, while the Tender Committees have not convened for a long time due to the pandemic. As a result, all the transitional stages in between have been delayed! Consequently, the road network remains in poor condition.
€18 million
The €18m from the Public Investment Programme that the current Regional Authority inherited from the previous one for the restoration of the damaged road network throughout the island, became available some time ago and the tenders were completed, but contracting is moving at different speeds for each project. “We found only money and codes and turned them into studies and tendered projects," Deputy Regional Governor for Corfu Melita Andrioti told Enimerosi. "The condition of the Corfu road network is in a terrible state and the roads are full of potholes. The Regional Authority is trying to temporarily bring the road network into a tolerable state until the major contract works, which have been planned and tendered, are signed and can move to the next stage. We hope that very soon the projects will be contracted and citizens will see in practice the commencement of important projects for our island." The work will include
retaining walls, barriers, lane markings, signage, guard barriers and road surfacing.
Melita Andrioti - Deputy Regional Governor for Corfu
The projects will include the following:
- Improvement of the main road network in North Corfu: €3,837,850 (the first tender protocol has been approved)
- Improvement of the main Corfu-Kavos road axis and secondary road network in South Corfu: €3,003,000 (passed by the Finance Committee on 2 June, announcement of the first successful bid)
- Improvement of the rural road network in Northwest Corfu: €4,512,500 (passed by the Finance Committee on 21 October, 2020 and is awaiting the Tender Committee to meet)
-Improvement of the Tzavros-Paleokastritsa main road – Connecting rural roads and Central Corfu: €4,577,400 (passed by the Finance Committee on 30 June, the second auction protocol was approved and the project has been awarded to the winning contractor)
-Repair of rural road No 6 (Vouniatades - Agios Mattheos): €1,044,450 (contracted)
-Reconstruction of traffic light system with new remote management system: €1,7m (On 24 June the third protocol was approved and is in the process of being contracted)
8 minor contract works
Meanwhile, to cover the time gap from the tender of the projects until their being contracted, the Ionian Islands Regional Administration is proceededing with eight minor contract works (maintenance of street lighting and traffic lights in north, south and central Corfu, safety signage and fixing of potholes in north and central Corfu, beautification of the road network) with provisional tenders (€60,000 +VAT) to fix the potholes and improve road safety with road markings and beautification until the commencement of major technical and surfacing works, as well as road construction. “To these tenders there will be added another large one with NSRF funding that has not yet been put out to tender and concerns road surface replacement in the Vryoni-Moraitika section with a budget of €5 million,” added Ms.Andrioti.
Funding being sought
At the same time, the Deputy Regional Governor for Infrastructure and Technical Works Manolis Orfanoudakis pointed out that, although the studies for the road safety project in Corfu (€8m budget) have been approved, within the framework of the planning contracts signed by the Ionian Islands Region with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and Egnatia S.A., funding is being sought for its implementation.
