Green light for construction works at Bahçeköy customs station

The long-awaited upgrade and expansion project of the Bahçeköy Border Customs Station has officially been given the go-ahead. The Inspectorate of Forest Policy Implementation of Macedonia–Thrace approved the contractor’s intervention on a five-acre forested area, allowing the works to begin.

According to the official decision, the approval followed formal requests from the Technical Control Directorate of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia–Thrace to the Sofulu Forest Service regarding authorization for the construction works within the designated zone. After receiving positive recommendations from both the Soufli Forest Service and the Evros Forestry Directorate, the Ministry of Environment’s Inspectorate issued its final approval on October 10, 2025.

The affected area—5.073 acres—is part of a total land surface of 58,998.55 square meters, which had already been expropriated in favor of the Ministry of Interior for the implementation of the project. The intervention in the forest area will proceed without any usage fee, under the condition that an equivalent area will be reforested or afforested elsewhere.

The project, with an estimated budget of €13 million, faced several delays before the contract was finally signed last July. The construction will be carried out by TEK Thessalonikis S.A. and is scheduled to begin in November 2025, with completion expected 14 months later. However, authorities aim to have additional vehicle lanes operational by the summer season to prevent long traffic queues during peak travel months.

Project Highlights

The Bahçeköy border station upgrade includes:

• Expansion of the facilities northward with a new independent vehicle inspection line for international freight transport.
• Construction of new access roads and parking areas for vehicles.
• Improvement of existing road infrastructure.
• Erection of new buildings and renovation of existing ones, focusing on aesthetic and energy efficiency upgrades.

Once completed, the project is expected to significantly improve traffic flow and customs efficiency at one of Greece’s most important border crossings with Türkiye.