Editing Thessaloniki (section)

===Motorways===
{{Further|Highways in Greece}}
[[File:Thessaloniki Road Map.svg|thumb|Road map of Thessaloniki and its suburbs from [[OpenStreetMap]]]]
[[File:Ο Περιφερειακός της Θεσσαλονίκης - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Part of the [[ring road]] (Peripheriaki Odos)]]
Thessaloniki lies on the crossroads of the [[A1 motorway (Greece)|A1]]/[[European route E75|E75]], [[A2 motorway (Greece)|A2]]/[[European route E90|E90]] and [[A25 motorway (Greece)|A25]] motorways; which connect the city with other parts of the country, as well as the neighbouring countries of [[North Macedonia]], [[Bulgaria]] and [[Turkey]].

The city itself is bypassed by the C-shaped [[Thessaloniki Inner Ring Road]] (''Esoteriki Peripheriaki Odos'', {{langx|el|Εσωτερική Περιφεριακή Οδός}}), which all of the above motorways connect onto it. The western end of the route begins at the junction with the [[A1 motorway (Greece)|A1]]/[[A2 motorway (Greece)|A2]] motorways in ''Lachanagora'' District. Clockwise it heads northeast around the city, passing through the northwestern suburbs, the forest of ''Seich Sou'' and through to the southeast suburb/borough of [[Kalamaria]]. The ring road ends at a large junction with the [[A24 motorway (Greece)|A24]] motorway, which then continues south to [[Chalkidiki]], passing through [[Thessaloniki metropolitan area|Thessaloniki's]] outer southeast suburbs.

The speed limit on this motorway is {{convert|90|km/h}}; it currently has three traffic lanes for each direction and forms the city's most vital road link; handling more than 120,000 vehicles daily,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.makthes.gr/news/reportage/57082/ |title=Περιφερειακή οδός: Επικίνδυνη εάν δεν γίνουν παρεμβάσεις [Ring Road: Dangerous if measures are not taken] |publisher=[[Makedonia (newspaper)|Makedonia]] |date=19 June 2010 |author=Koutsabaris, Fotis |language=el |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120908063721/http://www.makthes.gr/news/reportage/57082/ |archive-date=8 September 2012 }}</ref> instead of the 30,000 vehicles that it was originally designed to handle in 1975.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wheels.ana-mpa.gr/articleview2.php?id=2145 |title=- Καρμανιόλα" η περιφερειακή οδός Θεσσαλονίκης που θεωρείται πλέον πεπερασμένη [The Ring Road is considered dangerous and outdated] |publisher=[[Athens News Agency]] |date=25 April 2006 |language=el |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060506091242/http://wheels.ana-mpa.gr/articleview2.php?id=2145 |archive-date=6 May 2006 }}</ref>
An outer [[ring road]] known as '''Eksoteriki Peripheriaki Odos''' ({{langx|el|Εξωτερική Περιφεριακή Οδός}}, ''outer ring road'') carries all traffic that completely bypasses the city. It is part of [[A2 motorway (Greece)|A2 motorway]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://portal.kathimerini.gr/4dcgi/_w_articles_kathbreak_1_16/03/2011_383152 |title=Ηχορύπανση από τα αυτοκίνητα στο κέντρο της Θεσσαλονίκης [Noise pollution from cars at the centre of Thessaloniki] |publisher=[[Kathimerini]] |date=16 March 2011 |language=el |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713010125/http://portal.kathimerini.gr/4dcgi/_w_articles_kathbreak_1_16/03/2011_383152 |archive-date=13 July 2012 }}</ref>

====Future plans====
[[File:TAXI WAY THESSALONIKI 2020.jpg|thumb|Taxi in Thessaloniki]]
Despite the large effort that was made in 2004 to improve the motorway features of the Thessaloniki [[ring road]], the motorway is still insufficient to tackle Thessaloniki's increasing traffic and metropolitan population. To tackle this problem, the government has introduced large scale redevelopment plans throughout 2011<ref name="2011 Ring Road works">{{cite web |url=http://www.agelioforos.gr/default.asp?pid=7&ct=1&artid=118477 |title=Εργα – "ανάσα" στην περιφερειακή οδό ["Relief" works at the Ring Road] |publisher=Aggelioforos |date=12 November 2011 |author=Tasioulas, Tasos |language=el |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130217212552/http://www.agelioforos.gr/default.asp?pid=7&ct=1&artid=118477 |archive-date=17 February 2013 }}</ref> with tenders expected to be announced within early 2012;<ref name="2011 Ring Road works"/> that include the total restructuring of the A16 in the western side of the city, with new junctions and new [[hard shoulder|emergency lanes]] throughout the whole length of the motorway.<ref name="2011 Ring Road works"/> In the eastern side an even larger scale project has been announced, for the construction of a new elevated motorway section above the existing, which would allow faster travel for drivers heading to the [[Thessaloniki International Airport, "Macedonia"|airport]] and [[Chalkidiki]] that do not wish to exit into the city, decongesting the existing motorway for city commuters.<ref name="2011 Ring Road redevelopment plans">{{cite web |url=http://www.agelioforos.gr/default.asp?pid=7&ct=4&artid=117630 |title=Θεσσαλονίκη: Η περιφερειακή οδός... απογειώνεται![" the Ring Road] |publisher=Aggelioforos |date=6 November 2011 |author=Kanitsaki, Ntonia |language=el |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130217151338/http://www.agelioforos.gr/default.asp?pid=7&ct=4&artid=117630 |archive-date=17 February 2013 }}</ref> The plans also include adding one more lane in each direction on the existing A16 ring road and on the [[A24 motorway (Greece)|A24]] passing through [[Thessaloniki metropolitan area|Thessaloniki's]] southeast suburbs, from its junction with the A16 in [[Kalamaria]], up to the airport exit ([[Greek National Road 67|ΕΟ67]]); which will make it an 8 lane highway.<ref name="2011 Ring Road works"/>

Additional long-term plans include the extension of the planned outer [[ring road]] known as '''Eksoteriki Peripheriaki Odos''' ({{langx|el|Εξωτερική Περιφεριακή Οδός}}, ''outer ring road'') to circle around the entire [[Thessaloniki metropolitan area]], crossing over the Thermaic Gulf from the east, to join with the [[A1 motorway (Greece)|A1]]/[[European route E75|E75]] motorway. Preliminary plans have been announced which include a {{cvt|4.5|km|0}} bridge over the gulf, as part of the southern bypass of the city; to cater for the large number of travellers from Macedonia and the rest of Greece heading to the [[Thessaloniki International Airport, "Macedonia"|airport]], and to the increasingly popular tourist region of [[Chalkidiki]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.makthes.gr/news/reportage/46230/ |title=ΤΙ ΠΡΟΤΕΙΝΟΥΝ ΟΙ ΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΟΝΕΣ "Ματ" στο κυκλοφοριακό με δύο κινήσεις [What scientists are proposing to solve the "traffic problem" ] |publisher=Makedonia |date=25 October 2009 |language=el |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130217162152/http://www.makthes.gr/news/reportage/46230/ |archive-date=17 February 2013 }}</ref>
* Motorways:
** '''[[A1 motorway (Greece)|A1]]/[[European route E75|E75]] W''' ''([[Republic of North Macedonia]], [[Larissa]], [[Athens]])''
** '''[[A2 motorway (Greece)|A2]]/[[European route E90|E90]] W''' ''([[Kozani]], [[Ioannina]], [[Igoumenitsa]])'' '''N''' ''([[Kavala]], [[Xanthi]], [[Alexandroupolis]], Turkey)''
** '''[[A25 motorway (Greece)|A25]] ([[Greek National Road 12|ΕΟ12]])/[[European route E79|Ε79]] Ν''' ''([[Serres]], [[Bulgaria]])''
** '''[[A24 motorway (Greece)|A24]] ([[Greek National Road 67|ΕΟ67]]) S''' ''([[Thessaloniki International Airport, "Macedonia"|Airport]], [[Chalkidiki]])''
* National Roads:
** '''[[Greek National Road 2|ΕΟ2]]/[[European route E86|Ε86]] W''' ''([[Edessa]], [[Giannitsa]])''
** '''[[Greek National Road 12|ΕΟ12]]/[[European route E79|Ε79]] Ν''' ''([[Serres]], [[Drama, Greece|Drama]])''
** '''[[Greek National Road 16|ΕΟ16]], SW''' ''([[Polygyros]], [[Ouranopolis]])''
** '''[[Greek National Road 65|ΕΟ65]], Ν''' ''([[Kilkis]], [[Doirani]])''
Thessaloniki is also planned to be the southern terminus of the trans-European [[Via Carpathia]] motorway.