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More excuses for absence of promised Algarve roadworks

en125postThe Algarve's mayors are concerned about the delay in the promised EN125 roadworks and fear the approaching winter will make the roads even worse if they have not been sorted out.

With the renegotiation of contracts, Estrada de Portugal took over the responsibility for upgrading the EN125 between Olhão and Vila Real de Santo António, but the work has hardly started and deadlines already are slipping.

Estradas de Portugal is using standard excuse 32B, ‘blame the Court of Auditors.’

The president of the Intermunicipal Community of Algarve, Jorge Botelho, said that there is only some work going on, and that is at the Faro bypass sometimes has a few people there but they don't seem to be doing much despite the fact that the work is "extremely urgent."

The Faro bypass, as well as projects in Almancil and Lagos, apparently resumed in August three years after being suspended due to financial difficulties, but on the ground men and machines have been noticeable by their absence.

Faro mayor Rogério Bacalhau said that that regardless of the rate at which the work is progressing, it is important that the work be completed on time.

"It worries me to see only a few machines on the ground, but I hope that what is underway is part of the work plan which has a completion date of the end of the first quarter of 2015."

The Faro bypass apparently is progressing according to plan, company source at Rotas do Algarve Litoral said and the it anticipates the completion of the contract in May next year, some two months after the original date.

Jorge Botelho, who also is the mayor of Tavira, remains unconvinced and says he will believe it only when he sees it as the Algarve has had so many promises that it is hard to work out which ones are real.

"I want to see work being done before I will believe anything is happening and I hope that the overall redevelopment of EN 125 finishes as planned," said Botelho.

In July, the president of Estradas de Portugal chaired a meeting in Faro where he announced the company expects to spend €14 million on upgrading the EN125 between Olhão and Vila Real de Santo António.

Estradas de Portugal is responsible for the ongoing maintenance of 426 kilometres of roads and 268 bridges, viaducts and crossings in the Faro region yet has singularly failed to convince anyone that the work will ever be started, let alone finished.

There have been some big yellow diggers in evidence on the Faro bypass but the lack of impetus and effort going in to this major work is palpable. As for the rest of the promised upgrade work, should it ever start the mayors group will be as surprised as the rest of us.