It was confirmed last Thursday, March 12, that Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) will undertake a five-year project in order to protect the Greek cultural heritage monuments of Epirus in northern Greece. A team consisting of 300 teaching staff members and researchers specializing in antiquities has signed on to help bring the project to life. The University team plans on finding solutions for the restoration and preservation of around 150 monuments located in the area, and then overseeing their implementation. The initiative to create such a program followed the unfortunate collapse of historic bridges across the area, mainly due to extreme weather conditions and heavy rain. Meanwhile, Epirus’ regional authority confirmed they will be accepting the university proposals during a meeting held on Thursday, March 12, between AUTH representatives and the authority’s chief, Alexandros Kachrimanis. The two parties are expected to sign a five-year contract outlining future program plans by the end of March. The AUTH program will firstly focus on the single-arch bridges of Arta, Konitsa, Zagori and Vovousa, which were affected by weather conditions over the winter, while a team will also examine the Korakas bridge and determine if it can be restored.