When a road is more than a road

Kifissou Avenue, an essential artery of Athens' daily life, shoulders the weight of nearly 200,000 vehicles each day, serving both commuters and a significant portion of national and international freight traffic.

This critical infrastructure has no viable alternatives in a city where roads and public transit cannot absorb the load. Traffic management expert Kimon Logothetis highlights the freeway's capacity of 2,000 vehicles per hour per lane, stressing its pivotal role as Greece's busiest road.

However, recent debates about the "invisible" toll on the underlying riverbed - sealed during its redevelopment - have sparked public concern. Experts are now revisiting the stability of these projects amid fears of structural risks. With bridges vibrating under gridlock and unpredictable bottlenecks, the potential for disruption looms.

A structural failure on Kifissou...