Estradas de Portugal (EP), the national road authority, has announced that it has taken over the renovation work of the EN125 road between Olhão and Vila Real de Santo António, in a move which will cost around €14 million.
When the work will begin, however, is unclear. The authority is still to submit its investment plan for approval to the Court of Auditors.
The remaining improvements on other sections of the EN125 west of Olhão will continue under the responsibility of hired concession Algarve Litoral and “may begin as soon as the end of August”.
The announcement came on Monday from EP president, António Ramalho, during a trip to the Algarve to meet with local politicians and discuss the future of the EN125 renovations.
Speaking to journalists in Faro, Ramalho explained it clearly: the EN125 renovation work will be carried out by Algarve Litoral between Lagos and Olhão and by Estradas de Portugal between Olhão and Vila Real de Santo António.
“We thought it would be good to have Algarve Litoral continue with some of the improvements as some are already very far ahead, like the link roads in Faro, Troto and Lagos,” he explained.
Ramalho guaranteed that they would not be conducting roadworks during the holiday season, but that it is hoped that they will begin as soon as possible.
Once they do, they are expected to be completed in around eight months.
Jorge Botelho, president of the Algarve Municipalities Association (AMAL) and mayor of Tavira, told Lusa news agency that the meeting with António Ramalho was “positive” but that EP needs to go through with its plans.
“We are tired of announcements, what we want is for the work to begin again because the Algarve people, the EN125 road and the regional economy need it,” he said.
Botelho revealed that another meeting was scheduled for January 2015 to discuss the progress of the renovations.
On the other hand, the Algarve’s regional tourism board (RTA) has come out in support of EP’s announcement.
In an official statement, the board said that it is “good news” that some of the renovations will be kicking off soon, as the work is “essential” for the Algarve’s tourism sector.
EP has also since announced that it has signed a €4.2 million contract which will see construction company Tecnovia taking over the maintenance of the Algarve’s roads between 2014 and 2017.
The road authority also said that it will be paying 11% less with this contract compared to the previous one.
