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
Comments
Good point. RCK, I drove that road in1985 and it certainly wasn't sand - blocks if I remember correctly.
My newsletter comment about this vast number of roundabouts was in jest. The eastern section I think is 75 kilometres or so, hopefully the work will take fewer years than the western section.
Wouldn't it just be simpler to close the whole thing so people have to pay the tolls - which is what they want anyway?
Sorry, that is nonsense Rosa. I was on holiday in Armacao de Pera in April 1995 and drove to Sagres & Cape St Vincente for a day trip. The N125 west of Lagos was fine; tarmac and pot hole free; sand it was not.
The management of the N125 works has been truly shocking and Charly is spot on in his observations. The road was in an unacceptably dangerous condition and not fit for purpose for an interminable period of time. You are trying to defend the indefensible Rosa
I was teasing...
* the works took far too long
* there was no coordination between the different
construction companies
* the preparations were badly done : see the Lagoa roundabout that already took 2 years and will probably another year to finish it
* there was no overall supervision company responsible for SECURITY (signing, deviations, lighting, etc) and that causes several deads
Yes indeed some parts of the EN 125 are "fantastic" today. So, let's learn the lessons from the actual workd so that we can avoid these mistakes and the failiors in the future (let's say in 15-20 yeers when the
EN 125 will need its new refurbishment..
The scaffolding is apparently not there.