Greece Interstate 5 is a highway in Western Greece. It runs from 2 km south of Rio at GR-8/GR-9 (westbound), or at the beginning of the Patras By-Pass in the south up to the city centre of Ioannina. It is now connected with a new bridge, the Rio-Antirio Bridge and for 5 km is a joint with GR-48 and E65 . For the entire length, it is part of E55. Now the highway is divided from south of Rio to west of Antirio, and near Fragouleika.

It runs on the east side of the Ambracian Gulf from Amfilochia to the Arta-Aitoloacarnania boudnary. Before the opening of the Arta by-pass, the highway passed about 100 m from the historic Old Arta Bridge and north of Arta. The highway has a tunnel between Arta and Ioannina.

History

• In the late-1990s, a slope near the tunnel located between Arta and Ioannina was devastated with a mudslide cutting off traffic and hydro to the area. A few days later, the highway/route was reopened

The highway passes within towns and cities ordered from north to south includes:

• west of Rio
• Rio-Antirio bridge (toll)
• Antirio, since the openeing of the bridge, bypasses
• Junction of GR-48
• Messolonghi (bypasses in the north and east)
• east of Aitoliko
• Fragkouleika , now bypasses since 2003 or 2004
• west of Agrinio, junctions with GR-38 in the south
• the bridge thath spans 2 km over the Achelous River NW of Agrinio
• Amfilochia , junctions with GR-42
• Menidi
• Arta, since the mid-1990s, bypasses to the north
• junction with GR-21 , now further away since the mid-1990s
• junction with the University of Ioannina
• ends at downtown Ioannina

See also:

• List of Greek roads