The Region of Attica has launched repairs to fix extensive damage and subsidence in the underground bed of the Ilissos River in Kallithea, a southern district of Athens, after regional governor Nikos Hardalias signed a contract worth 1,209,500 euros.
Hardalias signed the agreement in the presence of Kallithea Mayor Kostas Askounis and deputy regional governor for the Southern Sector Tzina Adamopoulou.
The work will take place at two points along the riverbed totalling 120 metres in length. Crews will also fully restore the road surface at an outdoor parking area next to the Tavros station of the ISAP electric railway, which had collapsed.
Damage first found in 2018
The problem first appeared in May 2018, when the ground subsided at the outdoor parking area and exposed serious damage to the covered section of the Ilissos riverbed. Part of the stone-built retaining wall along the side of the channel had collapsed, and a significant section of the riverbed paving had eroded.
Technical surveys also found an underground stormwater pipe and inflows of water that had worsened the damage over time.
Two sites, 120 metres of repairs
The first intervention site sits beneath the outdoor parking area and runs at least 60 metres. Work there will repair the subsided riverbed floor and rebuild the section of the stone retaining wall that partially collapsed, as well as fully restoring the damaged section of the parking area's road surface.
The second site lies roughly 850 metres downstream of the first, where crews will repair 60 metres of subsided riverbed floor.
Once complete, the project is expected to strengthen flood protection and the stability of the underground riverbed by easing the flow of water. It should also protect the urban infrastructure above and neighbouring utility networks from further damage, while returning the parking area to residents of the densely populated neighbourhood as a safe, fully functioning space.
What officials said
Hardalias said the region was launching the definitive solution to a serious infrastructure problem that had remained unresolved since 2018, directly affecting the safety of public space and the daily lives of Kallithea residents. He said underground infrastructure was a critical factor in the safety and resilience of a modern city, requiring systematic inspection, timely maintenance and decisive action whenever damage, let alone subsidence, is found.
He added that for the Region of Attica, maintaining and reinforcing core infrastructure was a daily responsibility to citizens, and that every available resource had to be turned into a measurable result for safety and quality of life in local neighbourhoods. He said the region would closely monitor the progress of the works until the underground Ilissos riverbed was fully restored and the parking area safely returned to residents and visitors.
Mayor calls it a long-standing demand
Kallithea Mayor Kostas Askounis said the project had been a long-standing demand of Kallithea that was now becoming reality. He said the work on the Ilissos would restore safety to a particularly strained part of the city, protect neighbouring infrastructure and allow the safe reopening of the parking area next to the ISAP station.
Askounis thanked Hardalias for his decisive role in advancing the project, and said the Municipality of Kallithea would work closely with the region so that the works proceed according to the planned schedule and the area is returned to residents safe and fully functional.
