A new bridge to Praia de Faro, with a well-defined traffic lane and pedestrian and cycling routes, could start to be built in less than a year. The preliminary project for the new accesses to the main bathing area of the municipality of Faro was presented this Thursday and includes several improvements in access, especially for those who do not mind making the journey, between the curve next to the airport and the beach, on foot or by bike.
The mayor of Faro, on the sidelines of the presentation of the preliminary project, stated that the work «should not be on the ground before the end of the year». But he did not hide "the hope" of seeing the work, budgeted at 2,3 million euros, in progress during his current municipal mandate, which ends at the end of 2013.
The president of the Polis Ria Formosa Society, who will commission the work, said, for her part, that, at this moment, "nothing leads to think that it is not possible to do the work". The intervention “is considered by the government as a project associated with minimizing risks”, therefore, “a priority”, added Valentina Calixto.
After this presentation, the process entered a phase, which will last 15 days, of acceptance of change proposals. From here, the execution project will be completed, something that should take about two months, and then the work will have to be put out to tender and the project will have to be applied for community funds, namely the Operational Plan for the Enhancement of the Territory (POVT ), which is expected to last 120 days, or close to four months.
The intervention presented today will have two phases, the first of which will be the construction of the bridge and renovation of the road that gives access to it, from the airport. This stage of the work has an estimated duration, since it was awarded, of 600 days, almost two years, but it does not stop with the construction of a new passage over the Ria Formosa.
This process is even expected to be relatively quick, since the plan is to work with prefabricated structures. According to representatives of the company EPCA (Studies, Projects, Environmental Consulting), the new bridge will consist of "11 spans, between 15 and 25 meters in length."
These modules will be joined together to make a structure «175 meters long by 11 meters wide». The road dedicated to motor vehicles, which will continue to have alternating traffic like the current bridge, will be 3,5 meters wide, while the cycling and pedestrian lanes will be 2,5 meters wide each.
This bridge will be built east of the existing one, which will only cease to function when the new one is ready to open. In other words, access to Praia de Faro will never be cut, despite the works. The current bridge will later be dismantled and partially used "for a pavement base".
Also at the source and parallel to the road that now gives access to the bridge, a wooden walkway will be built, on stilts, «690 meters long and five meters wide», for pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles. This walkway will have, in the middle, a shaded rest area, located in a place «with good possibilities of bird sightings, due to the existing vegetation».
At the same time, hydraulic passages will be built along the existing road, allowing the circulation of water in the creeks and better oxygenation of the water.
In a second phase, an outdoor car park with space for 925 vehicles will be built. The connection between this parking lot and the beach will be guaranteed by public transport. This work will take 180 days to be executed and will cost around 1,5 million euros.
Improving access is the main objective.
In addition to new infrastructure, this project will also change the entrance area at Praia de Faro, in order to make it easier to get around, but always giving «priority to pedestrians and bicycles». Public transport will also have an outlet area and where they can make a U-turn.
Before the access straight to the bridge, a roundabout will be built and a gate must be placed, preventing access to the beach when all places are occupied. There will also be informational signs about the availability of places both inside and outside.
In the future, places within the Beach may be taxed, always guaranteeing free parking space for residents. Something that will only happen after the Beach Detail Plan is implemented. Faro, now nearing completion.
Financial engineering is already defined
In order to carry out these two works, which total close to 4 million euros together, the Polis Society will resort mainly to community funds. In the formula presented today, a POVT contribution of 70 percent is foreseen, with the company having to contribute with the remaining 30.
This contribution from the European Union can even rise and reach "85 percent", revealed Macário Correia, since the European Union is "raising the ceiling of non-repayable contributions, to guarantee the execution of the QREN funds".
The company's equity, which will have to cover a percentage never exceeding 30 percent of the total value of the work, already includes the contribution from the Chamber. For this, according to Valentina Calixto, «the share capital of the Chamber of Faro in society it will have to be carried out'. A matter that may be ready to be unblocked, said Macário Correia, who is only waiting for a visa from the Court of Auditors to ask for a loan and pay off the commitment, something he hopes can happen "in the coming weeks".
On the part of the State, the money has already been invested. “The State has already made its participation of 14 million euros”, said Valentina Calixto. "In the ongoing re-evaluation of the Polis, we have no indications that there are any reservations" regarding the progress of works planned for the Polis Ria Formosa, said the program manager, although she later admitted that some of the projects for the construction of Ribeirinhos Parks "are to be reassessed'.
The continuity of the Polis Society over time, so that it is possible to frame all the interventions still to be done, is also one step away from being achieved. "At the last meeting, all shareholders showed their willingness to extend the term of the company," said Valentina Calixto.
In practice, this means that the Polis Ria Formosa Society, which was due to become extinct at the end of this year, can be active for "another year or a year and a half". «This year and a half, that is, until July 2014, will be enough to complete all the planned works», believes the program manager.
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