What compensation do highways get due to a pandemic?

of Eleni Botas

Compensation of 25 million euros was approved by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport for the loss of revenue from tolls in the first half of 2021 to the concessionaires Olympia Odos, GEFYRA and Aegean Motorway.

The decisions for compensation of the concessionaires concern the period from the 1st of January to the 30th of June 2021, “which consists in the restrictions and prohibitions imposed by the Greek State on the movements in order to limit the spread of the pandemic”.

In particular, in the concessionaire Olympia Odos of the highway “ELEFSINA – CORINTH – PATRAS” “for the first 6 months of 2021 was approved the amount of 17.8 million euros while the total value of payments due to restrictions and bans imposed by the Greek State on travel, in order to reduce the spread of the pandemic (Covid-19), on this highway have amounted to 94.11 million euros.

Regarding GEFYRA SA, the amount of 6.02 million euros was approved, while to date the total value of payments to the concessionaire amounts to 18.1 million euros.

Regarding the Aegean Motorway, the amount of compensation credited by the Ministry for the first half of 2021 amounts to 841 thousand euros, raising the total value of payments to 30.9 million euros.

Finally, the Ministry approved the allocation of an amount of 3.73 million euros to MOREAS, as an Operational Subsidy and Additional Operational Subsidy under the Concession Agreement for the “Design, Construction, Financing, Operation, Maintenance and Operation of the Corinth – Trolley – Corinth Lefktro – Sparta Branch “for the period 3.9.21-2.3.22.

It is reminded that this highway is the only one that is permanently subsidized, as from the beginning it was considered deficit with the total payments until today amounting to 335.7 million euros.

Compensation for both Nea and Main Street is expected in the coming days.