Portugal’s road company, Infraestruturas de Portugal, has presented two outline proposals to Olhão’s mayor for a bypass to relieve the pressure on the EN125 which runs through the north of the city.After analysing the two routes, the road company will dig out the previous studies and environmental impact assessment, "always safeguarding the interest of the population of Olhão," says mayor Pina.
The daily traffic jams caused by a combination of traffic lights, a series of roundabouts and numerous pedestrian crossings has made this section of the EN125 ("a viable alternative to the A22 motorway" according to government), the worst remaining stretch of the maligned road.
The bypass, to be built and paid for by Infraestruturas de Portugal, should significantly reduce the number of vehicles crawling along Avenida D. João VI, aka the EN125.
The mayor of Olhão said that the bypass is not the Council's responsibility but that the municipality has been pushing for it for years and that it is extremely important, “to provide the city with adequate road structures that guarantee safety, accessibility and environmental quality to the population of the city and those who pass through it."
The mayor remains quiet on why this bypass was not built years ago as it was listed on the Council’s municipal plan back in 1995.
In fact, this bypass has been planned for so long, most have forgotten when it was first proposed but the so-called ‘Variant of Olhão’ was the subject of a Preliminary Study in 2007 under Estradas de Portugal - which turned into Infraestruturas de Portugal.
In 2008, the Algarve Litoral Road Transport Group presented a proposal to maintain any new bypass road, in the hope it then would get built.
Estradas de Portugal then decided that a third route should be presented – and so it has gone on, with little political will from Lisbon to get this road built even though the summertime traffic usually is at a standstill for long periods.
In January 2017, the Minister of Planning and Infrastructures, Pedro Marquês pottered down to the Algarve to announce that the long-awaited by-pass finally is to be built. Marques said that the project, “will become a reality when it opens in 2019,” at a cost of €5.6 million.
Mayor Pina, at the time, said that Marquês had, “come to bring to Olhão good news of the greatest value to our area, it's an old desire and need which now sees the light of day."
The new section of road will curve across the top of the city for six kilometres and will include a Portuguese speciality - roundabouts - at least seven of them but as there will be no public discussion as to the selected route, drivers will endure this inconvenience with good cheer.
