The completion of the Attiki Odos tollway connecting the western Attica municipality of Elefsina with Athens' new international airport became official on Thursday, with the opening of the western branch of the western peripheral Hymettus stretch of highway, the last remaining portion of the ambitious project.

The three-kilometer tract of highway, the last remaining portion of the tollway connecting the western Attica municipality of Elefsina with the Greek capital’s new Eleftherios Venizelos international airport -- a ring-road passing through the breadth of northern Athens -- was opened to traffic at noon Thursday by environment, town planning and public works minister George Souflias.

The Attica Tollway (Attiki Odos), the first self-financed highway in the country and a segment of major inter-European road networks, was built and is managed by the Attiki Odos S.A. consortium.

Souflias said that there would be no increase in the toll rate on Attiki Odos, which was currently 2 euro for cars. "It is not time for changes to the Attiki Odos tolls," he said.However, consortium sources recently leaked that the toll rate would be raised after the Olympic Games in Athens this summer, but would not exceed 2.5 euro.

Souflias called Attiki Odos the biggest transport project in Attica prefecture after the Athens Metro, and announced that the method of building public works projects through concession contracts would be extended to many more projects in the near future, so that those projects could be constructed promptly and with little financial participation on the part of the public sector.

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