A long-awaited project to carry out vital dredging work in the Guadiana River and make it “more navigable” has been finally completed by Portuguese and Spanish authorities.
Costing approximately €850,000, the project had been in the pipeline for decades.
In order to allow the safe navigation of larger vessels, the river’s depth was brought down to a minimum of 3.5 metres.
Authorities now hope that the work will help “boost local tourism”.
“This project is historic, as it is something the Algarveans have wanted for nearly 30 years,” said the mayor of Vila Real de Santo António, Luís Gomes, stressing that the improvements have guaranteed the “safe passage of tourist, sports and fishing vessels”.
Gomes also called the project a “clear victory” for the Eurocity of Guadiana, which is at last showing “real, physical results”.
The dredging work was financed by European funding and carried out by the Consejería de Fomento y Vivienda da Andaluzia alongside regional development commission (CCDR Algarve).
