VERY SOON, there will be just a 20-minute journey separating Alcoutim from the coast. This will be the reality following the inauguration of the new section of the IC27, which allows motorists to shorten their journey on the old EN122 by a total of 20kms.
Although being delighted by the new road, a development that it is believed will help improve the borough’s economic progress, the President of Alcoutim Câmara is now pushing for a new bridge to be built between Alcoutim and Sanlucar. This is an infrastructure that Francisco Amaral sees as being “fundamental for the borough to be taken off Portugal and Europe’s list of the most disadvantaged areas”.
The new section of the IC27 links the centre of Odeleite to Alcoutim and includes several flyovers and tunnels. Safety will be improved because the new road allows the substitution of one of the most complicated sections of the old national road, which is composed of many curves and bends.The new road section, which is around 10kms long, represents an investment of almost 40 million euros and has generated much expectation among residents. There are also plans underway to build a business park alongside the IC27.
A third branch of the IC27 between Alcoutim and Beja is currently being studied. Such an extension would also mean good news for the area’s economy, since it would increase the possibility for trade between the vast area of the low Alentejo and the Sotavento.
