Berta Cabral emphasises strategic importance of Madalena do Pico bypass, a 6.5 million-Euro investment - Communication

Secretaria Regional do Turismo, Mobilidade e Infraestruturas

The Regional Secretary for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructures, Berta Cabral, visited the Madalena bypass works on Tuesday, as part of the Regional Government's statutory visit to Pico Island.

With an investment of more than 6.4 million Euros, this work implements another project included in the RRP, Component 7 - Infrastructures, Azores Road Network, with a view to linking the various regional and municipal roads running radially to the town of Madalena.

This important work will provide a bypass to the town centre and better access to the health centre, port and airport, in addition to improving the population's safety and quality of life.

Approximately 1.6 km long, with six roundabout intersections linking to existing roads, the new route connects two sections of Regional Road no. 1-2. It starts at Rua General António Ribeiro, intersects Regional Road no. 3-2, runs close to the Vila da Madalena Health Centre and ends at Rua Carlos Dabney.

With the landscape integration of the roadsides and surrounding areas, this work includes the construction of a ring road with urban features, including a bicycle lane and pavements.

The cross-section of the Madalena bypass has an overall width of 17.40 m and consists of a 2.40 m wide pavement, interspersed with troughs for trees, a 2.20 m wide bidirectional bicycle path on the left side of the cross-section and a two-lane carriageway (3.50 m wide each), plus 1.00 m roadsides on each side and bordered by ditches. The green area on the right side of the carriageway is 2.50 metres wide.

The new works contract includes earthworks, drainage systems, paving works, placement of road and safety signs, installation of public lighting and ancillary works.

According to the Regional Secretary for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructures, this measure aims to create conditions for a more balanced economic development, promoting better conditions for the mobility of economic operators, especially outside major urban areas.

Berta Cabral defended that interventions in the Regional Road Network will also "reduce distances, travelling times and traffic jams."

With the investment underway, we intend to expand and improve road infrastructures in the Azores, improve accessibility to urban centres and the hubs where economic activity is concentrated, and improve the main gateways to each island. We also plan to build ring roads to the main urban areas, with a reduction in urban crossings," she said.

Reaffirming that "none of the roads planned in the RRP will remain unbuilt," the Regional Secretary noted that the deadlines for these works are being fully met.

The RRP for the Azores allocates 92 million Euros for the construction of ten bypasses and the redevelopment of roads on the islands of Terceira, Santa Maria, Graciosa, São Jorge, Pico, Faial and São Miguel.