Levkas canal

[B&M]

It's all change with the spit at the northern end being removed and a ferry port for the Ancona ferries to be constructed. The main canal is also being dredged with the spoil being shipped out several miles off shore? The floating bridge could soon be replaced by a tunnel to the mainland. European money?

 

[Mad Pad]

The reason that it has a floating bridge is to maintain its island staus I believe.
If a tunnel were to negate this I don't see it being built.
Please discuss

 

[B&M]

Many locals seem to think that it is likely to go ahead, their only concern is the toll that is likely to be levied. England is an island despite being connected by a tunnel to the rest of Europe.

 

[Appleyard]

As is Great Britain.

 

[Mad Pad]

When I say "Island status" I am refering to the benefits of being an island in Greece ie Government handouts etc.

 

[Mad Pad]

james that should Great Britain!
But not Northern Ireland.

 

[nickf]

The reason that it has a floating bridge is to maintain its island staus I believe.
If a tunnel were to negate this I don't see it being built.
Please discuss

A tunnel is indeed planned and the road from the Levkas side already built (just north of the refuse tip and south of the marina) which at present comes to a dead end. Work stopped when the financial crises hit.

I suspect the work currently being done on the spit is nothing more than the frequent dredging that is done to keep the entrance clear. Its the first time I have heard of any suggestion of a port for ferries from Ancona and doesn't seem to me to make any sense, perhaps B&M could give some further details of the source of the information?

 

[B&M]

The dredging that is going on is on a far bigger scale than before with the spoil being put into barges and dumped a couple of miles off shore. The Acona ferries will stop on route from Igoumenitsa to Patras at a new port that is to be constructed near the old spit.

 

[macd]

The Acona ferries will stop on route from Igoumenitsa to Patras at a new port that is to be constructed near the old spit.

Good news for Acona, then.
Rather reminds me of the new(ish) ferry dock on Eigg, substantially financed by EC money. It is no doubt a boon to Caledonian McBraynes, but cost about five times as much as the island it's bolted to, the inhabitants of which could think of 20 things they needed more at a fraction of the cost. It doesn't have to be Greek to be daft

 

[Mrnotming]

So Northern Ireland is still an island then? Good?

 

[Steve C Cronin]

This has the makings of another "New Corfu Airport" story.

There will need to be a massive breakwater to replace the sheltering currently afforded by the spit. With the prevaling wind you're going to need something like Cherbourg has.

As to the need for another ferry terminal when Iggy is relatively close and Patras so much nearer to Athens, I can't see it. Widening the Corinth Canal to take the ferries makes more sense.

 

[B&M]

How about the new planned autoroute to join Levkas to Athens, via the new tunnel.

 

[Steve C Cronin]

How about the new planned autoroute to join Levkas to Athens, via the new tunnel.

Is that intended to get members of the government to their holiday homes more quickly
Wasn't the Rion Bridge built to connect Patras with Athens?

 

[tedgorton]

I'm the ultimate conservative ("never do anything if you don't have to, and then think twice before you do it"). Agree that the need for another ferry port is not hyper-obvious, though it will make getting down from Corfu a lot cheaper, I would imagine, and less fiddly than ferry to Igou and taxi, bus or rental car to Lefkas. HOWEVER having grounded my newish boat well to the safe side of the red buoys off the old fort (only to be accosted within THREE minutes by a local chap who offered to pull me off for a mere 50 EUR), I support dredging the northern entrance so there is a proper channel, not a murky area between unreliable (purposefully?) buoys and the sand-spit.

 

[lurob]

It was reported in the local news 2 weeks ago that the new quay is for unloading passengers from visiting cruise ships. Don't think it's intended for ferries.

 

[BobnLesley]

...a new port that is to be constructed near the old spit...

You'd never get/keep the depth if you tried building it behind the spit and outside it's going to make for a nasty shallow water approach to a lee shore in brisk north-westerlies.

 

[Steve C Cronin]

...a new port that is to be constructed near the old spit...

You'd never get/keep the depth if you tried building it behind the spit and outside it's going to make for a nasty shallow water approach to a lee shore in brisk north-westerlies.

Hence my comment about needing a "Cherbourg"