The requalification work of the 1st section of Avenida da Liberdade, in São Brás de Alportel, was inaugurated this Thursday, 10 September, by Ana Abrunhosa, Minister of Territorial Cohesion.
This was «a moment full of meaning for the São Brasense community», says the City of São Brás.
The work, moreover, «is part of a global strategy, which we have been putting into practice in the municipality, for an increasingly modern, safer, better-paid municipality, with better quality of life for all, with more economic dynamics. and tourist attractiveness», said Vítor Guerreiro, mayor of São Brás, in his speech at the inaugural ceremony.
"We are pursuing this strategy with the intervention that is underway in the Central Section of Avenida, which will allow the accessible circuit to continue, which will very soon connect the historic center to the northernmost area of our town, the past to the future," he added. .
«Territorial cohesion is what we are doing today», stressed, in turn, Minister Ana Abrunhosa, explaining that her Ministry, although young, has embraced a difficult challenge that involves ensuring that development is enjoyed by everyone and in any point of the country.
After visiting the remaining requalified spaces, under this urban regeneration plan, Ana Abrunhosa said that «this modern work has managed to preserve the territory's identity, history, culture and even the earth's materials».
"There are those who think that the work is not quality of life, but the work in São Brás de Alportel means this," he said, addressing everyone present.
The project, designed by landscape architect Amélia Santos, sought to harmonize the circulation of two lanes with pedestrian circulation, through wider and more accessible sidewalks, while favoring road safety and enhancing heritage.
The sidewalks, now accessible to all, have flowered decorative elements on their sidewalks that pay homage to the county's traditions and to the land's greatest festival: the tradition of the Procession of Hallelujah that annually, on Easter Sunday morning, runs along this avenue.
The project favored the use of materials from the Algarve region and bet on the planting of trees providing this area with more green spaces. The intervention also included the introduction of urban furniture, the replacement of existing lamps and the renovation of water supply pipes and the rainwater network, among other works.
«The completion of this work came to complete the global requalification project of Largo de São Sebastião and adjacent streets, which allowed to enhance the center and main axis of the Historic Centre, in a crucial investment in the renovation of the urban image, in the quality of life and in the attractiveness of the city. county», explains the City Council of São Brás.
The redevelopment work on the 1st section of Av. da Liberdade maintained the main objectives of this intervention: to improve road safety, mobility and accessibility, achieving yet another stage of the “São Brás Accessible for All” Plan, printing the public space of better environmental quality, with more green spaces, with a predominance of space for people and, at the same time, valuing material and immaterial heritage.
With endogenous resources, such as the Barrocal stone, «this project has eternalized, in artistic sidewalks, the beautiful carpet of flowers of the Procession of Aleluia, which can now be visited and used all year round by those who live and visit the county».
This was a municipal investment of about 258 thousand, plus VAT, made by the company Martins Gago & Filhos, Lda. A significant part of this work is part of the Urban Regeneration Action Plan (PARU) of the Historic Center of São Brás de Alportel , being the subject of an application with 65% funding by the European Union.
The work was the third and final phase of a global project that began with the requalification of Largo de São Sebastião and which also focused on Rua Gago Coutinho.
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