Kifisos gridlocked in both directions as Athens marathon traffic measures take effect

Morning delays on the main roads

Traffic on several central Athens arteries was heavier than usual on the morning of Friday, 6 November 2026. NEWS 24/7 reported that Kifisos was the worst affected road, congested in both directions towards Piraeus and towards Lamia. Vasilissis Konstantinou, Syngrou and Amalias were also slow, with difficulties reported on the uphill stretch of Syngrou and on Amalias. Kifisias, Mesogeion, Athinon Avenue and Poseidonos were flowing without notable problems at that hour. The same bulletin put the extra travel time on the Attiki Odos airport-bound carriageway, between the Dimokratias and Kifisias junctions, at 20 to 25 minutes.

A crash-linked jam on the Kifisos descent

Earlier on Friday, SKAI reported a queue of many kilometres on the Kifisos descent from the Nea Chalkidona area towards the coast, which it linked to traffic incidents. The outlet suggested that drivers use the Thivon Avenue descent, the Piraeus Avenue route towards Piraeus or the Kifisias descent instead. The same report flagged delays on the uphill Kifisos lane from Lenormand to the Acharnon bridge and on the uphill Kifisias road from Katechaki to Filothei. It also noted slow traffic on the Acharnon access road towards Kato Patisia and on the clockwise loop at the Piraeus port.

Afternoon gridlock and the marathon measures

From 3pm on Friday, additional traffic arrangements took effect for the 43rd Athens Authentic Marathon, and reports from the afternoon described the jams as worse than before. Kifisos was blocked in both directions, with the Piraeus-bound descent queued from Agios Stefanos to Aigaleo. Reports differed on where the Lamia-bound uphill lane stalled, with one putting the queue from Faliro Delta to Nea Filadelfeia and another from Kallithea to Nea Filadelfeia. Athinon Avenue was jammed on its exit side from Karaiskaki Square to Kifisos, while Iera Odos moved slowly towards Aigaleo as far as Thivon. Kifisias and Mesogeion were congested between Marousi and Chalandri, and Vasilissis Sofias, Vasileos Konstantinou and Syngrou were also slow.

Attiki Odos and the wider region

On the Attiki Odos, the Elefsina-bound carriageway had the longest delays, with NewsIT and To Vima reporting 25 to 30 minutes between the Anthousa and Metamorfosi junctions towards the Piraeus exit. NewsIT and To Vima also reported 10 to 15 minutes on the airport-bound carriageway at the exit for Lamia. Another report put the Elefsina-bound delay from Anthousa to Kifisias at up to 20 minutes, while the figures for the Katechaki road towards Karea ranged from 5 to 15 minutes depending on the source. Beyond the city centre, To Vima described congestion in Kallithea, Petralona, Chalandri, Alimos and Nea Ionia, as well as in parts of the road network in Koropi. Most regional arteries in Attica were running more smoothly, according to the same reports.