The Corinth Canal will temporarily reopen for three months on Monday to accommodate summer maritime traffic, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Friday.

The premier was speaking after his crossing of the 130-year-old canal to inspect the restoration works that began after large-scale landslides that occurred in November 2020 and again in January and February 2021.

“There has been no substantial intervention at Corinth Canal over the last 130 years,” he noted, pointing out that it will close again in early October to allow for the second stage of the works.

In the summer of 2023, he added, the canal will reopen for four months, and the project will be completed in 2023, including the restored section.

Government officials said that the 32-million-euro restoration project is being carried out in two stages. The first involved the slope relief work and the cleaning of the canal year and the second of work to stabilize the base of the slopes.

This article was previously published at ekathimerini.com.