New Vila do Porto Bypass improves mobility in Santa Maria as part of a regional investment of €92.4 million - Communication

Presidência do Governo Regional

The President of the Regional Government, José Manuel Bolieiro, chaired today the opening ceremony of the Vila do Porto Bypass on the island of Santa Maria, an infrastructure considered strategic for the island’s transport network and territorial cohesion.

The new road, approximately 2.5 kilometres long, represented an investment of about €6 million, funded through the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) as part of the programme to modernise the Azores’ road networks, which involves an overall investment of €92.4 million.

The bypass diverts traffic away from the town centre of Vila do Porto, ensuring faster and safer connections to the port and the airport. The infrastructure includes five roundabouts, a seven-metre-wide carriageway, a cycling path, pavements and green areas, promoting more sustainable mobility and better urban integration.

José Manuel Bolieiro emphasised that investments of this size are only possible with the support from EU funds.

"In a small region such as the Azores, it is only possible to carry out truly transformative investments with co-financing from the European Union."

The President of the Regional Government recalled that the European Union’s current financial programming period is in its final phase. In this regard, he pointed out the need to make full use of available resources and prepare the Region for a future financial framework that may prove more demanding.

"We have a duty to make good use of EU funds, seeing that the next financial framework may have fewer resources for investments of this kind," he emphasised.

José Manuel Bolieiro also stressed that meeting the objectives set out in the RRP is crucial to strengthening the Azores’ credibility with European institutions.

He maintained: “Meeting the RRP milestones and targets demonstrates that the Azores know how to translate European strategy into local development. I believe that we will fulfil all our commitments.”

The head of the Azorean Government emphasised that this investment boosts Santa Maria’s competitiveness, improves the population’s quality of life and is part of a series of infrastructure projects aimed at modernising the regional road network. Furthermore, he stressed that this €92.4 million investment not only improves accessibility but also provides a significant boost to the regional economy, strengthening the Azorean business sector and generating wealth through public investment.