The summer is over, the EN125 roadworks were due to restart on September 1st, except they didn't as the sub-contractors have not been paid.
At best, residents now are looking at next summer before the western part of the EN125 roadwork project is finished after the various sub-contractors triggered termination clauses due to non-payment.
The Algfuturo business association issued a statement today, warning that "everything relating to the EN125 is an ordeal for the Algarve and those visitors using it. Now the refurbishment works between Faro and Vila do Bispo, which have been suspended through the summer months and should have been resumed, have been halted and may not be completed before next summer with a consequent worsening of the region’s image, business competitiveness and safety.”
Algfuturo - Union for the Future of the Algarve says that, "everything has stopped and there is no forecast completion date because no one pays anyone. The information we have is that the State has not paid the concession holder, which in turn has not paid the sub-contractors (in some cases for more than six months of work), who therefore have terminated their contracts."
Algfuturo concludes that everything that could go wrong with the EN125 upgrade, has gone wrong.
The State already has cut the initial western EN125 contract by taking out various roundabouts and much needed bypasses but with things now at a standstill, and unlikely to resume any time soon, the eastern EN125 project between Olhão and Vila Real de Santo António has little chance of staring in 2017, if at all.
Algfuturo asks for some clarity. "Faced with this unacceptable situation, it is essential and urgent that with full transparency everything is clarified and explained by the State. The roadworks need to be resumed and completed as soon as possible. If it is confirmed that the State has not paid its bills we need to know how long a delay is expected, when will work restart and when will it be finished?”
Readers now can expect the usual political drivel in response from those nominally in charge of this brewery-based celebration. Step forward please, Pedro Marques, the Minister for Panning and infrastructure.
Comments
I am sure he is quite exhausted.....
Well, on June 24 you reported about the Toll situation: “The minister (Pedro Marques) said that he was very tired after complex negotiations for the A23 toll reduction”
I guess Pedro Marques is still very tired!