If you are driving back from Halkidiki towards Macedonia tonight, count on a longer route through Thessaloniki. Part of the city's inner ring road, in the direction of the Evzoni border crossing, is fully closed to traffic from 23:00 until 05:00 in the morning.

The closure was announced by Thessaloniki's traffic police, and the reason is construction of the new "Flyover" motorway overpass - the project that has been rewriting the rhythm of crossing the city for months now.

What that means in practice

In the direction of Evzoni, that is northwards, traffic is diverted entirely onto alternative city streets and boulevards, where signage has been set up. Towards Halkidiki, southwards, all lanes are running normally.

In other words: those going on holiday pass through untroubled, those going home enter the centre of Thessaloniki in the middle of the night. Pick which direction is the bigger punishment.

The appeal to drivers is the standard one - adjust your speed, follow the diversion signs and allow extra time for heavier traffic through the central streets. That "extra time" means, in practice, that midnight at Evzoni is no longer a safe assumption.

The night drive back from Greece was never the easiest part of the summer anyway. This is one more reminder that the departure plan is worth making before you get in the car, not at the first diversion sign.