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The Thessaloniki Inner Ring Road (Greek: Εσωτερική Περιφερειακή οδός Θεσσαλονίκης) is a dual carriageway ring road encircling most of the Thessaloniki Urban Area in Central Macedonia, Greece. Planned in 1975 and put into service in the 1990s, it consists of the Western Ring section (Δυτική Περιφερειακή), and of the main Inner Ring section (Greek: Εσωτερική Περιφερειακή). With three lanes per direction it carries over 120.000 cars per day, making it one of the country's most busy highway sections.
Course
The Western Ring section (National Road 11) starts at a coastal spur highway, the Thessaloniki New Western Entrance (signposted as part of the A2 motorway). Passing by the municipalities Ampelokipoi-Menemeni, Kordelio-Evosmos and Pavlos Melas it joins the A24 motorway (Promachonas–Nea Moudania) near Efkarpia. The Western Ring section is currently being further upgraded to full Motorway standard with three new intersections being built and is planned to be renamed A121 motorway upon completion.
The A24 motorway forms the 21km main section of the Inner Ring. Following the outline of the city's eastern periphery, it separates the city from the forests of Kedrinos Hill known as "Sheikh Sou" (Sheikh's water). When the road was planned in the 1970s, this fact drew massive protests by what would become the country's pioneer environmentalist movement, the Ecological Movement of Thessaloniki.
In southern Thessaloniki, A123 motorway forms a short extension of the Thessaloniki Inner Ring connecting it with National Road 16 and the Thessaloniki Airport.