Press release · Municipality of Apokoronas

Nine Apokoronas villages demand safe road access during BOAK highway construction

October 5, 2026 Original source ↗

Summary

Mayor Charalampos Koukianakis met with leaders from nine Apokoronas communities to address dangerous access problems caused by construction work on the new North Crete highway (BOAK). The villages of Fre, Tzitzife, Pedochori, Ramni, Pemoneia, Kara, Melidoni, Nippos and Kaina are all affected, with daily movement by residents, workers, elderly people and emergency vehicles made difficult or unsafe. The municipality and community leaders have written jointly to the Ministry of Infrastructure demanding immediate temporary solutions and an on-site technical meeting.

Nine Apokoronas villages cut off by highway construction — residents demand action

For people living in nine villages across the Apokoronas area, the construction of the new North Crete highway (BOAK) has created a problem that hits them every single day: getting to and from the main road safely is becoming increasingly difficult, and in some cases close to impossible.

Mayor Charalampos Koukianakis has responded by calling an emergency meeting at his office with the leaders of all the affected communities. The message from that meeting was united and unambiguous.

Which villages are affected?

The nine communities dealing with access problems are Fre, Tzitzife, Pedochori, Ramni, Pemoneia, Kara, Melidoni, Nippos and Kaina. For their residents, this is not a bureaucratic inconvenience — it is a daily reality. People trying to get to work, parents taking children to school, elderly residents needing to reach a doctor, and emergency services trying to respond to calls are all running into the same obstacles created by the ongoing construction works.

What the meeting concluded

The meeting produced a detailed record of the access problems facing each community. Those present agreed: the situation is serious and requires immediate, practical solutions. The participants also noted the strong working relationship between the municipal authority and the community leaders, who brought first-hand knowledge of conditions on the ground.

What they are asking for

The municipality and community leaders have sent a formal joint letter to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, the members of parliament for the Chania regional district, and the General Secretariat for Infrastructure. Their demands are concrete:

Immediate restoration of safe and usable road access for all affected communities
Temporary traffic and engineering measures wherever they are needed, so that normal life can continue while construction is underway
An on-site technical meeting in Apokoronas — bringing together the Ministry of Infrastructure, the construction company, the Region of Crete, and the municipality
A physical inspection of the problem locations, so that decisions can be made based on the real situation on the ground
A clear timetable for both interventions and public communication, so that residents know when and how normal access will be restored

Not against the project — but not willing to be ignored

The mayor and community leaders are careful to make one thing clear: they support the highway project. "We are not against the project — we stand by our community and we are asking for what is obvious: safe and functional access for our people," reads their joint statement.

Apokoronas, they say, has always backed infrastructure development and progress. In return, they expect the government and all parties involved to ensure that large construction projects are carried out with proper respect for the safety, daily lives and quality of life of the people who live there.

When a real problem emerges, the message from this meeting is clear: Apokoronas does not fragment into competing voices. It coordinates, cooperates and makes its case together.

Official source

Source translation

Machine-translated from the official source document.

PRESS RELEASE – The villages of Apokoronas cannot be cut off from the BOAK.

October 5, 2026, 9:58 AM

United voice of the Municipality and Community Presidents – Immediate technical meeting and solutions to access problems

"We are not against the project — we stand by our community and we are asking for what is obvious: safe and functional access for our people."

With this clear message, a meeting was held in the office of the Mayor of Apokoronas, Charalampos Koukianakis, with the Presidents of the Municipal and Local Communities of Fre, Tzitzife, Pedochori, Ramni, Pemoneia, Kara, Melidoni, Nippos and Kaina, on the subject of the serious problems that have arisen regarding the access of settlements to and from the main road network, due to the progress of the construction works.

The following Community Presidents participated in the meeting:

Fre: Koulizakis Dimitrios
Tzitzife: Voloudakis Stylianos
Pedochori: Niavradakis Konstantinos
Ramni: Matsamakis Georgios
Nippos: Kotsifaki Georgia
Kaina: Fyntrilakis Evangelos

During the meeting, a detailed record was made of the problems and difficulties faced by residents in their daily lives, with the shared finding that the situation requires immediate, specific and implementable solutions, as it concerns the safe movement of residents, workers and professionals, access for elderly people and families, as well as the unobstructed passage of emergency vehicles and services.

The implementation of a major project must be accompanied by all necessary temporary arrangements, so as to ensure the smooth and safe daily life of local communities.

For this reason, the Municipality and the Community Presidents are requesting, by letter addressed to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, the Members of Parliament for the Regional Unit of Chania, and the General Secretariat for Infrastructure:

The immediate restoration of safe and functional access for all affected communities, and the implementation of temporary traffic and technical solutions wherever required.
An immediate technical meeting in Apokoronas, with the participation of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, the contractor company, the Region of Crete and the Municipality.
An on-site inspection of the problem locations, so that the necessary decisions can be taken on the spot, based on a realistic picture of the situation.
A clear timetable for information and interventions, so that residents know how and when normal access will be restored.

The meeting highlighted the excellent cooperation between the Municipal Authority and the Community Presidents, who conveyed a vivid picture and the needs of the local communities.

When there is a real problem, Apokoronas does not divide into separate voices — it coordinates, cooperates and advocates.

With this shared stance, the Municipality and the Community Presidents set the safeguarding of safe and unobstructed access for all settlements as an immediate priority, and call on the responsible bodies for coordination, technical competence and the immediate implementation of the necessary interventions.

Apokoronas has demonstrated over time that it supports progress, infrastructure and the development prospects of the area — it expects, in turn, from the State and all involved parties to ensure that the implementation of projects proceeds with respect for the safety, daily life and quality of life of citizens.