The brand-new coastal road at Rakopotamos, connecting Larissa with Magnesia, has collapsed just months before its planned opening to traffic.

This was one of the most eagerly anticipated infrastructure projects for the residents of Larissa and Volos in recent years. The road was designed to link the two regions along the coast and bring Larissa and Magnesia closer together.

Following the collapse, the head of the Larissa Public Prosecutor’s Office has ordered a preliminary investigation into the damage. As part of this investigation, a technical inspection will be carried out to determine the causes of the roadbed failure. Authorities have requested that the construction site remains unchanged until this assessment is completed.

The road was reportedly scheduled to open to traffic by late July. The problem is concentrated around the 12th kilometer of the Agiokampos–Keramidi route, where the scene now resembles a war zone. Footage taken on Saturday (April 12) shows the road entirely collapsed.

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Collapse raises serious questions

Speaking to SKAI on Holy Tuesday morning, the regional governor of Thessaly, Dimitris Koureta, explained that the project was tendered in 2019 and the contract was signed on August 7, 2020. It was supposed to be completed in two years, but that timeframe stretched to four, repeatedly delayed due to issues with the road.

“Why were there problems?” Koureta asked. “The approved study, along with the environmental terms, took ten years to be finalized – from 2007 to 2016. This study stated that it was for the improvement of an existing dirt forest road not part of the national or provincial road network. However, in 2019, the project was presented to the Regional Council as a provincial road from Rakopotamos to Keramidi.”

“The question, then, is this: why wasn’t the original environmental study for a forest road followed? Its terms are only valid for a forest road, not a provincial one.”

Koureta added: “We’ve now ordered a new technical investigation to determine why this happened. The original study may have nothing to do with the current situation. We need to examine what that study involved, how it was designed, and, most importantly, whether there is funding to complete the road. I don’t have it. In my view, this road should never have been built.”

Former governor Agorastos: “Funding was secured – otherwise the project couldn’t have started”

Responding to the controversy, former regional governor Kostas Agorastos stated, according to Larissanet.gr, that “the study was approved, the tendering process was approved, and construction moved forward. Studies always precede construction. The project’s funding was secured; otherwise, it couldn’t have begun. After storm Daniel, however, new circumstances may have emerged.”