The social-democrat deputy elected by the Algarve Mendes Bota joined the voices calling for the quick completion of the work on the EN 125 (which he refers to as the ER 125). In an intervention at the Assembly of the Republic, the parliamentarian asked the Government "to promote the redemption of this concession in the shortest possible time and complete the planned works".
On the same occasion, it analyzed the figures of investments foreseen in the Strategic Plan for Transport and Infrastructure (PETI), concluding that investment in priority infrastructure in the region only deserves "0,9 percent" of the national counterpart in the interventions to be made, throughout the parents.
According to Sul Informação reported this thursday, the majority of the investment that PETI recommends for the Algarve, to be carried out by 2020, will be made by ANA Aeroportos, which will spend 66 million euros to requalify the airport of Faro. The public sector will invest 65 million (electrification of the Algarve Line, connecting the railroad to the Airport and investments in the Ports of Portimão and Faro), but most of this amount will come from Community Funds, which means that the Algarve will only receive 17 million euros, when the national contribution for all the works foreseen in the PETI amounts to 1880 million euros.
«I understand that the logic of this Strategic Plan is subordinated to the national interest of promoting economic growth, supporting companies, creating jobs, increasing competitiveness and mobility, in a tight financial framework. But I cannot fail to point out that the Algarve has to do with all these strategic objectives and that, in a total investment of 6.067 million Euros, the Algarve is awarded only 131 million Euros, that is, 2,1 percent of the total », said the Algarvian deputy.
In this intervention, the parliamentarian put forward "a general comment, a question in particular and a specific demand", the latter relating to EN 125.
And if the general comment was for the low weight of investments in the Algarve in the global effort, the «doubt in particular» is related to the amount destined to the requalification of the commercial ports of Faro and Portimão.
«I can't figure out how it will be possible, with just 10 million Euros, to dredge the access tunnel and the rotation basin at the Port of Portimão, which will allow the reception of larger cruise ships, reaching the threshold of 250.000 passengers/year, as I always defended. But this would also presuppose the extension of the commercial berth by another 220 meters in length,” said Mendes Bota.
«On the other hand, how is it possible to improve the operational conditions of quays and infrastructure/support equipment for the movement of passengers and cargo in the Ports of Portimão and Faro within that budget forecast? In the case of goods, an increase of 50% in the installed handling capacity is estimated: from 400 thousand to 600 thousand tons/year. The question is: how can all this be done with just 10 million Euros, otherwise the goals proposed by the Plan will not be achieved? Will they be works, or “little works”?” he asked, promising to address a question to the Government on this matter.
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