Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP) intends to launch, by the end of the year, the tender for the construction of the Variant to the EN125 from Olhão, announced this Thursday, August 24, Minister João Galamba.
The Council of Ministers today approved a resolution that is "another step" for the work to move forward.
In practice, this resolution mandates IP to seek an agreement with the sub-concessionaire – RAL (Rotas do Algarve, SA) – so that the sub-concession contract excludes the Variant section – and thus Infraestruturas de Portugal assumes responsibility for the section and do the job.
It's just that the initial contract provided for RAL to do the work, but that same contract was denounced by the sub-concessionaire and a dispute has been going on for years at the Arbitration Court.
No briefing of the Council of Ministers, João Galamba, Minister of Infrastructure, explained that this was a «block that did not allow the launch of the tender for the work» that is included in the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) and, therefore, has timings tighter.
«We have maintained contact with the concessionaire and we know of its availability for the agreement. Now IP will make it happen and I hope it will be resolved quickly », he said.
The official also recalled that the project is in final phase of public consultation – until 31 August.
«Infraestruturas de Portugal intends to launch the project for the execution of the work before the end of this year and we will work so that [the work] takes place as quickly as possible», guaranteed Galamba.
«With this resolution and with the knowledge of the sub-concessionaire, we believe we have overcome this important blockade», he added.
João Galamba explained that, by excluding this section, the concessionaire will no longer make that investment (the Variant) and «this will be deducted from the payments that the State will have to make».
«It is, at all levels, a solution that safeguards the public interest», he summarized.
This is a work with an ancient and troubled history.
Initially, the road was to have been built as part of the requalification of the EN125, but, in 2012, it was dropped by the Government of Pedro Passos Coelho, after the renegotiation of the Rotas do Algarve Litoral concession. It was placed on the table again during the first term of the Socialist Government of António Costa.
In early 2017, Pedro Marques, the then minister of Planning and Infrastructure, came to Olhão to announce the launch of the competition for the preliminary study of this work, something that happened a few months later.
The progress of the process led the mayor António Pina to come forward highlight the importance of the work «for the development of Olhão as a city and municipality» and for «that this territory has an effective alternative road to the EN 125, which crosses the city, with the consequent constraints on car and pedestrian traffic».
At this time, the end of 2018 was still pointed out as the date for the start of the works, although it was highlighted that there were still many procedures to be done.
Reality gave reason to these warnings of caution, since, about a year later, in July 2018, the preliminary study was not yet completed. Still, Pedro Marques assured that the work was not forgotten.
In May 2019, the Environmental Impact Study of the project, meanwhile prepared and delivered by IP to the Environmental authorities, went to public consultation and ended up receiving a conditional favorable declaration.
Meanwhile, with the arrival of money from the so-called “European Bazooka”, the Bypass to the EN125 from Olhão was one of the few works of road infrastructure included in the Recovery and Resilience Plan, having advanced to the preparation of the execution project.
On the report now in public consultation, it is noted that «in the Execution Project phase there are no significant changes, compared to the proposal presented in the Preliminary Study phase».
Even so, from one document to the next, some adjustments were made at the topographical level and the profiles of the future road, as well as “in the drainage organs, depending on the hydrological and hydraulic studies carried out”.
«A brief update was carried out on some of the environmental aspects of the Variante project implementation area, through the updating of documentary research and field surveys, with the aim of supporting the issues raised at DIA», it reads, still , in the conclusions of the Non-Technical Summary.PR
Moreover, «since the base project phase, no decisive changes have occurred in the territory with implications for the project under study, both in terms of territorial management instruments, as well as easements and restrictions of public utility or other constraints».
The base project that is referred to is the one that was approved and subject to an Environmental Impact Study in 2012 and on which the previous study was based for the most recent layout proposal.
Also in order to respond to the DIA, «various studies were carried out, focused on the most relevant areas depending on the characteristics of the project and the territory traversed», among which stand out the Geological and Geotechnical Study, the Drainage Project, the Acoustic Study and Sound Protection and the Landscape Integration Project.
«With regard to the minimization measures for this phase of the Execution Project set by DIA, from the analysis carried out, it is considered that, generally speaking, their compliance is guaranteed, having been, within the technical possibilities, adjustments to the project that allowed the optimization of the same», reveals the APA, in the document.
RECAPE also suggests "a set of additional measures", applicable to the construction phase, which "must be respected by the contractor and thus minimize the environmental impacts foreseen for the construction phase".
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