The EN125 between Lagos and Olhão, "already constitutes a true alternative to the Via do Infante."
This memorable statement was uttered by Rui Sousa, the executive director of the Rotas do Algarve Litoral subcontractor responsible for the EN125 road works.
According to the company, although there are still works to complete in some lateral zones, the road works on the EN125 between Vila do Bispo and Olhão are officially finished only 15 days after the last of many deadlines offered by the increasingly out of touch Infrastructure Minister, Pedro Marques.
Rui Sousa said the traffic is already circulating without restrictions on the 120 kilometers of road that his company has upgraded.
This excludes the roundabout at Pêra which has been delayed as some land has to be purchased, despite the government having had at least a decade to arrange this, and the roundabout by the International School near Porches where unforeseen archaeological work is continuing.
According to Rui Manteigas, the Director General of Concessions at Infraestruturas de Portugal which is responsible for these works, everything will be completed after the summer season, between September and the end of October.
The €100 million western Alharve project has taken five years not to finish, with the company suffering from government imposed financial constraints that served deliberately to extend the period over which the western Algarve’s population was disrupted, driving motorists onto the pay-as-you-go (or sometime later) Via do Infante motorway.
The eastern Algarve public now is dreading the continuation of this snail’s pace project which will fix the EN125 from Olhão to Vila Real de Santo António, much of which is in very poor condition.
Rui Manteigas admits that tenders for this eastern stretch of road have not been advertised yet but intends to start in October with, "€25 million of immediate investment."
As for the long stretches of newly painted single white lines now severely hampering the speed and flow of traffic by reducing overtaking areas, Rui Sousa 'will look into it.'
Rui Sousa, executive director of Rotas do Algarve Litoral