The Minister of Planning and Infrastructure, Pedro Marques, certainly has a way with words but few in the Algarve have any further patience with his vague assurances that the EN125 roadworks will recommence “within a few weeks, a month maybe...”
Adding insult to drivers’ intelligence, Pedro Marques said on Antenna 1 today that the renegotiations of the Baixo Alentejo and Algarve Litoral Public Private Partnerships, talks that are being blamed for the latest delays in the Algarve, "are already more advanced than they were before."
"In the case of Baixo Alentejo, we managed to reach a general agreement on the partnership,” and the Algarve Litoral concession talks are sort of at a vaguely similar stage.
Pedro Marques said he hopes very much to be able to announce the roadworks will start again but really can’t say when. This is beacause he doesn’t know, despite being the man in charge.
The excuse used, that renegotiation is needed half way through a contract, has not been given the general degree of credence the minister expects, with most now concluding that the government has blocked as much spending as possible so that the national year-end figures look as good as possible.
However, Marques continues to use bureaucracy as his excuse, saying the Baixo Alentejo partnership deal "now will be submitted to the Court of Auditors, with the consent of the banks."
The Algarve’s hoteliers association has pointed out in no uncertain terms that the region’s EN125 road is like a construction site between Vila do Bispo and Olhão and nothing has happened since July this year when sections were just left uncompleted afer contractors were told to down tools for the summer.
The September 1st re-start date to get the job done in the quieter winter months remains a date of myth as the current vague assurances are that maybe next January the region can see some action.
The hoteliers and other tourism related associations now have the nagging feeling that the roadworks will restart late and run into the Easter or summer months while the minister drags up some other old chestnuts to keep the media occupied.
When the western section of the Algarve’s EN125 finally is completed, the whole charade will start again when contractors start to fix the eastern section from Olhão to the Spanish border.
