The Dona Maria II Bridge (pictured) in Lagos reopened on Monday evening three years and six months after being closed to traffic when judged by engineers to be close to collapse.
The work on the historic structure ended up going over budget and cost around €1 million, 65% of which was sent from Brussels and the balance paid for by Lagos ratepayers.
In the central Algarve the Faro bypass finally will be opened next Monday evening, 17th August, when that rarest of creatures, a government minister, will visit to cut the ribbon at 5pm.
None other than António Pires de Lima, the Minister for the Economy, will be on show to give a few sound bites alongside Infraestrutura de Portugal’s António Ramalho.
Not content with this double act, Sérgio Monteiro, Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Transport and Communications also will be wheeled into position to see the first vehicles whizz along this essential road link that will shave around 30 minutes off journey times for those trying to cross Faro at the evening and morning peak times.
Local news service Sul Informaçao checked out the progress of the €17 million bypass work today and was told the delay in opening the road was due to the final inspection process.
Local mayor Rogério Bacalhau will be attending, perhaps hardly able to belive that one of the many completion dates he has been fed in the past has at last been the correct one.
