Loulé council at last has the go-ahead to complete the northern bypass from the Querença roundabout, next to the sports hall, to join up with the road near the São Brás de Alportel roundabout to the east.The protocol has been signed for the council to adopt a section of the ER270, the former National Road connecting Fonte de Boliqueime to Tavira.
The Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Guilherme d 'Oliveira Martins, signed off the deal that transfers the road from Infraestruturas de Portugal to the council, which must pay for the completion of the bypass and maintain 16 kilometres of road between the Boliqueime junction of the A22 and the Loulé border with São Brás de Alportel.
Local ratepayers will be responsible for funding the 'management, maintenance and repair of the road and its functional elements such as surface, hard shoulders, bridges and viaducts, road signs, road safety, environmental protection and lighting.’
This has long been the solution desired by the council which, although an ongoing local burden for a road that normally would be the responsibility of the State, means at last the job may be finished.
The completion of the northern bypass requires an investment of around €3.3 million but this "will allow a local dream to be fulfilled," according to the Loulé mayor.
"Thank God, the municipality of Loulé is well financially and we do not need the money from government. We just needed the agreement we have just signed, so we can solve the problem ourselves,” said Mayor Vítor Aleixo.
The final section of bypass, between the Querença roundabout and Barreiras Brancas, is 1.7 kilometres long and means that through-traffic no longer will have to weave through the city.
The plan is for a road with a single lane in each direction with a green zone down the middle, a bicycle lane and a pedestrian walkway.
Unusually for any new road in the Algarve, there will be only two new roundabouts, one at Barreiras Brancas and the other at Pedragosa.
Mayor Aleixo said that the work will go ahead “as soon as possible,” but offered no dates as the project needs to be finalised and approved, land needs to be purchased and a tender issued for the work.
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