There are 9 million euros guaranteed to build a bridge between Alcoutim and Sanlúcar de Guadiana, as well as a synchrony, accompanied by undisguised enthusiasm, on both sides of the border. But we must "roll up our sleeves" and get down to work now, because what can be scarce is time.
Ana Abrunhosa, the Minister of Territorial Cohesion, was today, Wednesday, the 8th, in Alcoutim, to preside at the ceremony for the signing of the financing contracts for the Alcoutim – Sanlúcar de Guadiana Bridge, a work that will be entirely financed by the Recovery Plan and Resilience (PRR).
And if being the target of this "bazooka" of European funds can only be seen as very good - suffice it to say that the idea of building the bridge has more than two decades and there has even been a cross-border demonstration demanding the work -, be included in the PRR means that the work has to be done by 2026.
This date may seem distant, but not quite.
«For the population, who have been waiting for decades for this work, it seems a long period, but we will have very little time to do the work, until 2026. We have short deadlines, which means that this advance [of money] will go away. doing it in the coming weeks will be to feed all the projects, the environmental study and everything that has to be done, and then the project's competition can be launched and the work can be carried out», summarized Ana Abrunhosa.
The deadlines referred to by the minister are, moreover, defined in the contracts signed today between the Recuperar Portugal Mission Structure, the Algarve's Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR) and the Municipality of Alcoutim.
The tender for the implementation project should be launched "still in the first quarter of 2022", so that it can be completed "by the fourth quarter of 2023".
The contract "must be contracted by the third quarter of 2024" and the start of the work must take place "at the latest by the end of the first quarter of 2025". The idea is to have the bridge completed in 2025, although it could be completed by 2026.
It is also necessary to take into account "the first milestone of this project, which foresees the completion of the first environmental impact assessment in the third quarter of 2022".
“We would already be very happy if all deadlines, which are short, were met. We work very demanding goals, but we work with the expectation of shortening deadlines. I say again: it is a very short period for those who are going to do the work, but it is too long for the towns that have been waiting for decades. And we are going to work with that spirit», said Ana Abrunhosa.
In order for these goals to be achievable, it is necessary to move quickly with previous studies and environmental impact studies.
“We are going to have more work here on this issue. But I also say that if it were easy it wouldn't be for us, it was already done. We will have to roll up our sleeves and get down to work», said Osvaldo Gonçalves, president of the Alcoutim Chamber, an entity that will be responsible for the entire process linked to the studies and the execution project.
“In general, these are complex studies, because we have to comply with the legislation and, above all, because environmental issues are very important in this territory. Because the development that we want this bridge to bring is sustainable development, which respects ecosystems», declared, for her part, the Minister of Territorial Cohesion.
In order to carry out the necessary studies and project, the alcouteneja municipality will benefit from advance payments, the first of which will arrive “in the coming weeks”.
«The total amount will be divided into annual tranches in the amount of 250 thousand euros in 2021 and the same amount in 2022 for the studies and execution project; 1 million and one hundred thousand euros in 2023; 3 million and four hundred thousand euros in 2024 and 4 million euros in 2025, the year in which the investment will be completed", reads the contract signed today.
In addition, there is work that has already been done previously and that will allow us to move forward more quickly, bearing in mind that «in order to enroll this project in the Recovery and Resilience Plan, we have already been scrutinized by the technical services of the European Commission», recalled Ana Abrunhosa.
«We've already done a lot of technical work to justify the importance of this bridge and to guarantee an answer to all the concerns that it is normal for the population to have: environmental, impact on ecosystems and that the river can continue to be enjoyed and experienced, despite the bridge », summarized.
Although there has already been a path covered, namely in articulation with the authorities of neighboring Andalusia, who were represented at today's session and guaranteed full support for the project and possible help for its smooth running, almost everything remains to be done.
Even the place where the bridge will be built has yet to be defined, although there is already an idea.
“We think the location will be north of Alcoutim, in the hotel area, where there is a narrowing of the river. We believe that this is the area that, in terms of environmental impact and in terms of construction costs, will best serve to build the bridge," said Osvaldo Gonçalves, alongside the mayor of Sanlúcar de Guadiana, who nodded, with these words.
The fact that there is nothing tangible about this project was one of the criticisms made by the PSD/Algarve, in a note sent to newsrooms today.
The Social Democrats accuse the Government of carrying out "a shameless electoral campaign against the rules of decency", by promoting this official act less than a month before municipal elections, especially when everything is at an early stage.
“There is not even a project, no project outline, no environmental studies, no schedule. (…) Nothing has been done so far. It is a disrespect for Alcoutim, for its citizens, which is in line with what has been seen throughout the Algarve with ministers in public presentations where there is nothing to present, except promises of projects», accuse the social- Democrats.
Ana Abrunhosa, for her part, assured that this "is a commitment of the Government of the Portuguese Republic with this territory, but also a commitment between Portugal and Spain."
"At any cost, the people of this territory deserve that we honor this commitment," he said.
As for the previous work, the minister reinforced that “everything is being worked on and everything has to be explained to the European Commission. Each project has a form, which describes all schedules, all procedural and administrative phases. Therefore, it is a very mature process».
«After this contract, we are not going to do exploratory work yet. No, that job is done. Now it's really hands-on, roll up your sleeves and do it», he assured.
But, recalled the governor, "hiring those who do the projects, the administrative and bureaucratic part, is a long process, but that is how the law requires."
This led the minister to appeal "to all public entities" to "give priority to this project" and to "commit themselves, always complying with the rules".
"We're going to oil our machines to get this project going," he added.
José Apolinário, president of the CCDR, an entity that will serve as an intermediary between the mission structure and the Alcoutim Chamber, to which he delegated the responsibilities of owner of the work today, explained why this ceremony took place today.
"The launch on this date is due to the short period of time we have to meet the milestones for the project, with the procedures for the execution of the preliminary project and the environmental impact assessment", he explained, during the session.
As for the importance of this infrastructure, it can be seen from two angles: its historical and social significance and its economic and territorial cohesion importance.
In the first case, recalled José Maria Perez, mayor of Sanlúcar de Guadiana, this is a claim that arises «more than 20 years ago, I was still a councilor».
«We were in Lisbon and saw a model of the bridge. There was even a small demonstration at that time, on the river, with boats from Sanlúcar and Alcoutim, asking for the bridge, but nothing came of it. Now it looks like we're going to make the dream come true», said the Spanish mayor.
But there is also the part linked to the development of the territory.
“This investment is worth more than 9 million euros. It is an investment in territorial cohesion, in the interior and in peripheral Portugal and Spain. It's structuring», believes José Apolinário.
«The two sides of this territory, which have unique and very similar characteristics, in terms of potential and also difficulties. They can and will jointly benefit from this link», said, for his part, Osvaldo Gonçalves.
“I would say that, much more than connecting Alcoutim and Sanlúcar de Guadiana, we are connecting, through this bridge, two regions and we are creating here a centrality in an inland territory,” he said.
This new connection, he concludes, opens up “a range of opportunities”, namely “in terms of making the most of resources and optimizing various situations, such as health and safety issues. (…) I have no doubts that we will benefit in terms of growth from the construction of the bridge».
Photos: Hugo Rodrigues | Sul Informação
Comments