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Portimão old bridge closed
• 15 Nov 2007 •
 THE old metallic bridge over the Arade River in Portimão has been closed to all motorised traffic. Only pedestrians and bicycles are allowed to use the bridge while the repair work is being carried out. Entrance to the city for heavy vehicles will be redirected to the Alvor Penina access and not permitted at the EN125 exit near the Barlavento hospital.
The public road network company, Estradas de Portugal, announced that the repair work on the old metallic structure which joins Portimão to Ferragudo will cost an estimated five million euros and should last 15 months. The repairs will include supporting and refilling the bridge’s seven pillars and restoring the metal span. After meeting with representatives of Estradas de Portugal, the mayor of Portimão, Manuel da Luz, explained that drivers would be able to use the National 125 road bridge as an alternative route. Portimão and Lagoa Town Council have also announced that they will soon make available a ferry boat service for local people who are now forced to travel several kilometres more in order to cross the river.
The ferry will have a capacity for 60 people and will link Portimão marina and Ferragudo on the other side of the river. Mayor Luz added that this is the right moment for the central government to accept that Portimão needs a new bridge. “This area of Portimão should be served by a bridge at least seven metres wide, with a dedicated path for pedestrians and cyclists,” said the mayor, stressing that the new bridge should be built south of the existing one, to connect Portimão's town centre to the recently inaugurated Arade Pavilion and the Ferragudo marina, which is scheduled to be built next year. Meanwhile, Estradas de Portugal have denied a report which claims that a total of 415 bridges in Portugal have serious structural problems. Reacting to the report, Estradas de Portugal stated that this figure corresponds to the number of bridges upon which experts considered inspections were necessary to make sure there were no structural problems. Estradas de Portugal emphasised that no such serious situations had been detected. |  Return to Top
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