Megara: queues on the Athens–Corinth road on the return

Heavy traffic with low speeds was recorded from midday on Sunday, 16 August 2026 on the Athens-bound carriageway of the Athens–Corinth National Road, as the main wave of returning August-holiday travellers began. According to Newsbomb’s report, the biggest delays were concentrated in the stretch from Megara to Nea Peramos, where vehicles moved at low speeds, while queues formed early in the afternoon at the Elefsina tolls as well. On the Athens–Lamia carriageway the return was proceeding without similar problems. Delays were also recorded at the Polymylos toll station on the Egnatia Odos, outside Attica.

The scale of the return is reflected in the figures cited in the same report, sourced from the Traffic Police. From 06:00 to 18:00 on Sunday, 58,051 vehicles returned to Attica. Of these, 36,200 travelled via the Athens–Corinth National Road and 21,851 via the Athens–Lamia road. This distribution explains why the congestion was concentrated on the western axis: more than six in ten vehicles entering the Attica basin within the twelve-hour period passed through the Athens–Corinth road, which in the Megara stretch simultaneously receives traffic from the Peloponnese and from western Attica. TodayGrid did not have access to a separate Traffic Police announcement, and the figures are attributed to the report.

To curb the congestion, the standard measure banning heavy vehicle traffic was applied: vehicles with a gross weight over 3.5 tonnes are not allowed to travel on the inbound carriageway toward Attica until 23:00. The measure is typically applied on peak days of major departures and returns and aims to free up lanes at points where road capacity narrows, such as at the tolls. Western Attica functions on these days as a funnel: all road traffic from the Peloponnese and western Greece is channelled through a single axis that crosses inhabited areas, from Megara and Nea Peramos to Elefsina. As a result, the impact of the return is not limited to travellers but also burdens the daily commute of residents, who use the same axis for local trips. Diversion measures and regulations are applied by the local Traffic Police services, depending on the real-time picture.

For drivers, the practical takeaway is that delays are concentrated at specific points and times rather than along the entire route, with the tolls being the main congestion point. No extension of the traffic measures beyond the scheduled hours has been announced. The same day was particularly demanding for western Attica for other reasons too, as the island of Salamina was dealing with a double wildfire front, while eleven municipalities were experiencing emergency water cuts. More reports from the area on the Megara page.