The construction work of a walkway over the Ria Formosa, which will connect Largo de São Francisco to the Portas do Mar pier, in Faro, is ready to be launched and will also include the creation of a new pontoon in the Fábrica da Cerveja area.
The news was announced by Sophie Matias, councilor of the Chamber of Faro, during the solemn session of the Municipality Day, this Saturday, September 7th.
This work is part of the whole requalification of the riverfront of the Algarve capital and, at this moment, it is the most advanced. The local authority is already in the “preparation phase to launch the project”.
And what will be done?
As Sophie Matias explained, the work includes the construction of a walkway over the Ria Formosa that will connect Largo de São Francisco to Cais das Portas do Mar (where boats to the islands are caught and which will also be refurbished).
Another component will be the creation of a lower crossing beneath the train line, both in Largo de São Francisco and at Cais das Portas do Mar.
In other words: anyone who wants to access the walkway will have to do so through an underground passage beneath the railway line.
The work also includes the requalification of Largo de São Francisco itself, creating “an area for some events, without taking away the parking component”, guaranteed Sophie Matias.
This is a project that dates back to 2020, carried out by the companies RVDM Arquitetos and Struconcept, which will cost around 8,5 million euros and is part of a series of works planned for the Riverfront of Faro.
During the presentation of the Municipality Day, Sophie Matias also took the opportunity to provide an update on the situation regarding the other planned phases.
This requalification of the Riverfront includes the expansion of the Marina of Faro. That is: the construction of an external dock, next to the existing one, but on the side from there of the line, in the heart of Ria Formosa.
The project, which will cost around 35 million euros, involves not only landfilling but also dredging. The first phase of the project has already been awarded to build the temporary landfill, and all other work will then be carried out.
Another aspect will be the requalification of the land that connects the CP Station to the Teatro das Figuras and where there are currently deactivated shipyards.
This is where the so-called “Passeio das Artes” will be created – which is part of the Cultural Kilometer – and which will include areas for sports, sculptures or urban art panels.
Finally, another of the works with the greatest impact will be the construction of an overpass, next to the Teatro das Figuras, which was, in fact, highlighted in the celebrations of the 2023 Municipality Day.
In this ceremony, the Chamber of Faro delivered to Infrastructures of Portugal (IP) the project for this viaduct over the line… and, since then, there has been no news.
In order to guarantee accessibility and mobility for everyone, «the overpass project will feature ramps and a tray with a minimum profile of 7 meters wide for car circulation, a minimum profile of 2,4 meters for a cycle path and 1,5 meters for an area pedestrian, totaling a total of 10 meters», reveals the Farense municipality.
«Accessible ramps and routes will also have to guarantee access for people with reduced mobility», he adds.
The proposal submitted to IP envisages the construction of two autonomous structures, «which are located on the railway line».
One of them, the pedestrian and cycling connection, is longer than the other, intended for car traffic, «to guarantee the minimum permissible slopes» for people with mobility difficulties. In total, this platform will be 322 meters long and will start at the central divider on Avenida Calouste Gulbenkian.
The platform intended for road traffic is less extensive and will lead to the roundabout next to the Teatro das Figuras and the Estabelecimento Prisional de Faro.
The project also includes, in addition to the road, cycle and pedestrian routes, two vertical access areas, next to the former Nursing School (future headquarters of the Judicial Police) and at the entrance to Parque Ribeirinho, which include stairs and elevators.
At the same time as all these works, the Council also wants to launch a project to requalify the area from the Station to Largo de São Francisco, on axes such as Avenida da República and Jardim Manuel Bivar.
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