The first phase of the 3rd circular of Faro, which will connect Avenida 25 de Abril, next to the Continente hypermarket, to Estrada da Penha, is already under construction and the Mayor of Faro hopes that "it will be completed and ready in the summer, between July and August of this year".
With the launch of the project to link the roundabout at the east entrance of Faro, next to the Athletics Track, the Marchil bridges, «the well-known 3rd Circular de Faro It's already progressing», Mayor Rogério Bacalhau told journalists, during a visit to the works, which took place on Friday, January 28th.
Designed in the 90s, when the Pinheiro e Rosa Secondary School was opened, Avenida 25 de Abril was only partially completed. Some arrangements were then made to allow urban growth and the installation of a hypermarket in the area.
The first phase of this 3rd Circular will connect Avenida 25 de Abril to Estrada da Penha, in an “extended two-lane road”, which will have “side parking” and “a bike lane for all residents of Faro to circulate”.
«We are going to have a bike path along the entire length of this third ring road, another element to be able to ride a bike safely in the city of Faro», explained the mayor.
The work represents a direct municipal investment of around 750 thousand euros, to which is added “another amount” already paid by the City Council. Faro to carry out the necessary expropriations of the lands.
This public work will guarantee an exit for the traffic of Bairro Mendonça, «something desired by the residents of this place». The street ended in an alley, now passing the traffic going uphill from Estrada da Penha.
The first phase of the 3rd circular is part of a global mobility project, included in the Mobility and Transport Plan of Faro.
This project includes the construction of a roundabout, at the connection point between Avenida 25 de Abril and Estrada Nacional 2 (EN2), to «distribute the traffic that is entering the city» and to «displace the end of this mythical road», stressed the mayor of Faro.
«We have the 738 roundabout, which has a large number of people arriving on the EN2 and wanting to take pictures. This roundabout that we want to make will change the pressure from the 738 to this one”, explained Rogério Bacalhau.
In the plans for the new roundabout there is a large sign «where it will be written “Estrada Nacional 2″», as well as a «monument with a map of Portugal and the EN2 cut out» so that people «can take pictures here on arrival or departure , with less danger than at the 738 roundabout», which is located in the middle of Avenida Calouste Gulbenkian, one of the busiest streets in the city.
«If we have this monument and this symbolism here, certainly that pressure from roundabout 378 will be unlocked here», highlighted the mayor of Faro.
For the future of the 3rd ring road, there is the connection between the EN2 and Avenida Mário Lyster Franco, next to the Escola Básica da Lejana. The tender awaits the approval of the Court of Auditors to be able to proceed, estimating that "it can start in a few weeks".
The work will have a municipal investment of 2,5 million euros.
A new roundabout is also planned in Marchil, next to the former Commando building (now Associação 289), which “will distribute traffic between National Road 125 and Montenegro”.
But for the 3rd circular to be complete and to connect the two ends of the city of Faro, the project to connect the Pontes de Marchil roundabout to the Senhora da Saúde road and between the Penha road and the roundabout of the bypass to Olhão is still lacking.
«This will take a few more years, of course, but when it is completed, it will provide the ability to go from West to East, or vice versa, or from North to South to enter or leave or go to the rural part of the county. », concluded Rogério Bacalhau.
Photos: Rúben Bento | Sul Informação
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