National road company, Infraestruturas de Portugal, at last has announced that its contractor is starting €250,000 of emergency work to the crumbing EN125 eastern section between Olhão and Vila Real de Santo António.
According to the company, a set of emergency repairs will be carried out to correct the damaged areas that have been identified on the 38 kilometre stretch of road.
The road company announced a €1 million spend in the Algarve but half of this is to be used to fix a bridge in Tavira, leaving €300,000 (later re-announced as €250,000), to repair the EN125 eastern section, widely acknowledged to be a national disgrace and a huge and expensive job, if done well.
The company’s press release, rather insultingly, states that the work is, "a matter of urgency," after years of ignoring the problem.
The time allocated is 45 days to "allow its completion before the summer period, ensuring a significant improvement of the conditions of comfort and safety for the populations of the region, as well as the thousands of tourists who come to the Algarve for the enjoyment of their holidays," chirped the communiqué sent to regional press.
Infraestruturas de Portugal also stated that, "the implementation of these repairs will allow the restoration of safe traffic conditions, mitigating the current mobility deficiencies which will be solved by the repair work to be carried out by the company, as soon as legally possible."
Castro Marim and Vila Real de Santo António Councils both stated that today’s announcement clearly disrespects locals and, "will not solve any of the structural problems that the road has developed over the years," and that it will just get torn up again this summer by vehicles driven by tourist, residents and commercial traffic.
It remains to be seen what the contractor can do to stretch the budget over the 38 kilometre section, much of which needs digging out and relaying.
In April, the road company said the work will be completed "before the summer period" and would begin in mid-May, but the truth is that the work started on 5 June. The 45-day deadline means that, at best, the work will be completed between 15 and 20 July, in the height of summer, when the Algarve receives thousands of tourists.
