Greek National Road 8 ( Greek : Εθνική Οδός 8 , abbreviated as EO8 , common name: old Athens-Patras national road ) is a single carriageway with at-grade intersections in the Attica , Peloponnese and West Greece regions. It connects Athens with the cities of Corinth and Patras . Since the 1960s it has been replaced for most of its length with the National Road 8A , a limited-access toll road that bypasses most towns, as the major route to the Peloponnese. The EO8a has since been upgraded to the A8 motorway .
25-586: National Road 8 passes along the northern coast of the Saronic Gulf , through the Isthmus of Corinth and further, along the southern coast of the Gulf of Corinth , and ending in downtown Patras . It runs through five regional units: Central Athens , West Athens , West Attica , Corinthia and Achaea . Since the opening of National Road 8A it is mainly used for local traffic in the coastal towns. According to
50-634: A marina, shops, and offices; it is estimated to be completed by 2025. The airport site is bordered by beaches to the west, by the Glyfada Golf Club to the south, by the Elliniko-Glyfada municipal boundary, and by a residential area. The Athens radar center is still based at Elliniko. Built in 1938, Ellinikon International Airport was originally called Kalamaki Airfield. Following the German invasion of Greece in 1941, Kalamaki Airfield
75-706: A metropolitan park on the former site of the Ellinikon Airport. The competition was sponsored by UIA ( International Union of Architects ), the Greek Ministry of Environment, and the Organization for the Planning and Environmental Protection of Athens (ORSA). The project was further developed in 2006 and 2007 by this team through two development phases with the planning organizations of Athens. By 2012, government plans to attract investors and develop
100-419: A museum showcasing its collection of Olympic Airways memorabilia and aircraft. After its closure, the northwest portion of the airport was redeveloped, converting aprons into a provisory Olympic complex that housed the 2004 Summer Olympics venues for canoe and kayak slalom, field hockey, baseball, and softball. Other Olympics-related upgrades to the airport included transforming one of the western hangars into
125-641: A short airport road to the Eleusis Airbase, also branches off from the EO8. [REDACTED] Geographic data related to Greek National Road 8 at OpenStreetMap Saronic Gulf The Saronic Gulf ( Greek : Σαρωνικός κόλπος, Saronikós kólpos ) or Gulf of Aegina in Greece is formed between the peninsulas of Attica and Argolis and forms part of the Aegean Sea . It defines the eastern side of
150-419: Is also in the northeast. Beaches line much of the gulf coast from Poros to Epidaurus , Galataki to Kineta and from Megara to Eleusis and from Piraeus down to Anavyssos . Athens' urban area surrounds the northern and the eastern coasts of this gulf. Bays in the gulf include Phaleron Bay , Elefsina Bay to the north, Kechries Bay in the northwest and Sofiko Bay in the east. The volcano of Methana
175-472: Is located to the southwest along with Kromyonia at the Isthmus of Corinth, Aegina and Poros. Methana is also the youngest most active volcano center and forms the northwestern end of the cycladic arch of active volcanoes that includes Milos island, Santorini island and Nisyros island. A hydropathic institute at Methana makes use of the hot sulphurous water that still surfaces in the area. The most recent eruption
200-591: The ancient theatre at Epidaurus and nearby asclepieion and the Temple of Aphaia on Aegina. The Saronic Gulf is one of congregating areas for short-beaked common dolphins in Aegean Sea. On recent occasions, more of large whales such as fin whales have been sighted in the gulf due to improving environmental conditions. Ellinikon International Airport Ellinikon International Airport ( IATA : ATH , ICAO : LGAT ), sometimes spelled Hellinikon ,
225-588: The isthmus of Corinth , being the eastern terminus of the Corinth Canal , which cuts across the isthmus. The Saronic Islands in the gulf have played a pivotal role in the history of Greece , with the largest, Salamis being the location of a significant naval battle in the Greco-Persian wars . The Megara Gulf makes up the northern end of the Saronic Gulf. The Athens urban area lies on
250-479: The Athenians defeat Xerxes , assuring Athens its place as the cradle of modern European culture. The ancient port of Cenchreae used to be situated here. The gulf includes the islands of Aegina , Salamis , and Poros along with smaller islands of Patroklos and Fleves . The port of Piraeus , Athens' port, lies on the northeastern edge of the gulf. The site of the former Ellinikon International Airport
275-602: The EO8 from Patras to Eleusis , although it bypasses many villages and towns that the EO8 directly serve. The remaining sections of the EO8a (between Corinth and Rio) will be upgraded to be part of the A8, and the EO8 will become a non-motorway detour. Apart from the EO8a and A8, the EO8 has connections with (from east to west) the EO1, EO56, A1, EO58, EO3, EO7, EO31, EO5, EO33 and EO9: the EO58,
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#1732793700911300-567: The Government Gazette in 1963, the original alignment of EO8 ran from Athens to Patras , via: Corinth , Kiato , Derveni , Aigio and Rio . Today, the EO8 bypasses Megara , whereas the original alignment ran through the town. In Athens, the EO8 currently runs via Athinon Avenue instead of Iera Odos and Egaleo . Additionally, the EO8a and the A8 (Athens–Patras) runs parallel to
325-524: The USAF operated out of the airport for over four decades. In 1988, in one of the first projects for the eventual bid for the 1996 Summer Olympics , the Greek government decided not to renew the agreement, as technical and security issues prevented the airport's modernization and expansion. Additionally, it was considered one of the most difficult and risky airports in the world for take-offs and landings because of
350-608: The agreement, the USAF concluded its operations after the end of the Gulf War . The airport was the base of operations for the Greek national carrier Olympic Airways . The airport had two terminals: the West Terminal for Olympic Airways, and the East Terminal for all other carriers. The East Terminal building was designed between 1960 and 1969 by Finnish architect Eero Saarinen . Just before its closure in 2001,
375-407: The airport recorded a 15.6% growth rate over its previous year, serving 13.5 million passengers per year and handling 57 airlines flying to 87 destinations. The airport's official capacity was 11 million passengers per year. The airport was closed on 28 March 2001. The last aircraft to depart from Ellinikon was an Olympic Airways Boeing 737 bound for Thessaloníki . All flights were transferred to
400-542: The canal make the gulf quite a busy area with commercial shipping. Fault lines dominate especially in the northwestern part. Sailing is popular in the Saronic Gulf which, like the neighbouring Argolic Gulf, benefits from the Attic mainland's partial shelter from the summer Meltemi wind that can reach Force 7 and above further to the east in the Aegean islands. The Gulf boasts two particularly notable archaeological sites:
425-452: The natural characteristics of the region (a short and small runway on a narrow strip of flat land between the Aegean Sea and the mountains surrounding the Attiki basin, particularly Mt. Hymmetus. After the non-renewal of the agreement, a series of feasibility studies began on the possibility of a deactivation of the airport and the construction of a new one. Three years after the withdrawal of
450-477: The new Athens International Airport , located 20 km east of the city in Spata. A large part of the airport is still derelict, and old aircraft and airport vehicles can still be seen on the site. The site has been used as a camp for immigrants and refugees. The Civil Aviation Museum operated out of the West Terminal from April 2011 until 2018. The Olympic Airways Employees’ Cultural Center (POLKEOA) hopes to reopen
475-555: The north coast of the Saronic Gulf. The origin of the gulf's name comes from the mythological king Saron who drowned at the Psifaei lake (modern Psifta ). The Saronic Gulf was a string of six entrances to the Underworld , each guarded by a chthonic enemy in the shape of a thief or bandit. The Battle of Salamis , just to the west of modern-day Piraeus, took place in the Saronic Gulf. This naval battle off Salamis Island saw
500-457: The secondary arena for the basketball tournament and the fencing competition. During the 2004 Summer Paralympics , the arena hosted wheelchair fencing and sitting volleyball matches. The archery events, blind football, and CP football were held at the hockey and softball fields. In 2005, a team led by architects David Serero , Elena Fernandez, and landscape architect Philippe Coignet won a competition against over 300 teams of architects to design
525-447: The site commercially were eclipsing the proposed park, though nearby communities remained vocal about their preference for a park. There was also another plan to turn the airport into a coastal resort. The following is a list of aircraft accidents and incidents that occurred at or in the vicinity of Ellinikon airport. Only deadly occurrences or hull-losses are listed. Elliniko has a hot semi-arid climate ( BSh ), closely bordering
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#1732793700911550-567: The site was converted into a stadium and sports facilities for the 2004 Olympic Games . The former airport is now the site of a major development for coastal Athens, which came under criticism because well-preserved historic buildings (from the 1930s) were demolished. In 2020, construction began on the Hellenikon Metropolitan Park , a complex consisting of luxury homes, hotels, a casino, the Inspire Athens tower,
575-538: Was an international airport that served Athens , Greece , for 63 years. Following its closure on 28 March 2001, it was replaced in service by the new Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos . The airport was located 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) south of Athens, and just west of Glyfada . It was named after the village of Elliniko , now a suburb of Athens. The airport had an official capacity of 11 million passengers per year, but served 13.5 million passengers during its last year of operations. A large portion of
600-412: Was of a submarine volcano north of Methana in the 17th century. The gulf has refineries around the northern part of the gulf including east of Corinth and west of Agioi Theodoroi, Eleusis, Aspropyrgos, Skaramangas and Keratsini. These refineries produce most of Greece's refined petroleum products, a large proportion of which are then exported. Commercial shipping to the refineries, Piraeus, and to and from
625-633: Was used as a Luftwaffe air base during the occupation. After World War II, the Greek government allowed the United States to use the airport from 1945 until 1993. Known as Hassani Airport in 1945, it was used by the United States Army Air Forces (USAF) as early as 1 October 1945 as a base of operations for Air Transport Command flights between Rome , Italy , and points in the Middle East . By agreement with Greece,
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