Heraklion to Get a New Underground Car Park with 500 Lots

Heraklion’s municipality has placed constructing an underground car park on Demokratias Avenue high on its agenda. Mayor Alexis Kalokairinos has adjusted the 2024 budget, introducing a designated expense code to restart the long-stalled project.

The new budget amendment includes:

• Services of financial, technical, and legal advisors.
• Comprehensive evaluation and design for the underground car park.
• Strategy for construction, funding, and operation through a public-private partnership. This amendment passed unanimously during a local government meeting held on Monday, December 16.

This initiative dates back to 2007, when the initial study was completed but then abandoned. Now, city officials are taking decisive steps to finally bring the plan to life.

The budget revision for the project, titled “Provision of financial, technical, and legal advisory services for the construction, funding, and operation of an underground car park on Demokratias Avenue through a public-private partnership,” was unanimously approved during a City Council meeting on Monday, December 16.

To move forward, the municipality will launch a tender to select a consultancy firm that will provide technical expertise and guide the city through critical steps, including defining requirements and conditions for project implementation. With a planned capacity for around 500 vehicles, the underground car park will replace spaces lost due to urban transformations like new pedestrian areas and other infrastructure upgrades designed to modernize the city centre.

Residents and visitors are left wondering:

• When will actual construction start?
• How long will it take to deliver results?
• Will this project break the cycle of delays plaguing public works in the city?

Over a decade of waiting has passed. It’s time for Heraklion to deliver on its promises and ease the parking burden in its busiest areas.