A spokesman from Mafra Câmara has announced that construction of a new highway – the Circular Regional Interior de Mafra (CRIMA) – will begin within the next two weeks. It is hoped that the new road will ease the congestion caused by the 18,000 vehicles that pass through the town centre on a daily basis.
The road, which will have two lanes in each direction, will connect to the new motorway, Ericeira/Malveira-Mafra, currently under construction and due for completion in spring 2005. “We have 18,000 vehicles passing in front of the Convento de Mafra, a monument of national heritage. Mobility is currently very difficult and the idea is that all the people who live in the Sobreiro area would be able to travel to Lisbon without passing through the centre of Mafra,” explained the Mayor.
The construction of the first phase of CRIMA, a 2.1km stretch, involves an investment of 2.5 million euros, of which 750,000 euros will be funded by the state and the remainder by the câmara.
