Olhão residents and road users, well used to standstill summer traffic and choking fumes, may see an end to vehicles having to inch their way through the city along the EN125.
In July this year, the Minister of Planning and Infrastructure, Pedro Marquês visited the municipality and assured residents that a bypass, talked about for decades, indeed would be built.
Marquês said he was waiting for the Environmental Impact Statement to be delivered, which, if it is not too damaging, means the slow process of commissioning and overseeing the work can at least be started.
It has been confirmed that this vital environmental report now has been delivered to the Portuguese Environment Agency by the national road and rail company, Infraestruturas de Portugal.
The six kilometre bypass will not be fast road like the one to the north of Faro as it will have no less than seven roundabouts linking to the existing road network.
Whatever the size and speed possibilities of the bypass, the relief for those in the city living along the EN125 will be great and worth every cent of the €5 million budgeted cost.
Meanwhile, the EN125 eastern Algarve section, from Olhão to Vila Real de Santo António, is still pending but at least some early summer repairs patched up the worst sections.
There is still no start date for the EN125 upgrade of the Olhão bypass but a big step has been taken with the delivery of the environmental report.
