The middle of the three bridges over the Arade between Lagoa and Portimão will turn into a single lane road controlled by traffic lights as from Monday 15th February.
According to the contractor, the Arade River Bridge’s expansion joints need replacing and this will take at least a month.
The traffic light system will operate 24/7 during this period and inevitably will cause further congestion on the EN125.
The alternatives are the lower bridge between Parchal and Portimão or taking the Via do Infante and having the additional inconvenience of paying a toll.
Making the bridge section of the Via do Infante toll free for the period of the roadworks on the EN125 bridge is too sensible a step for Infraestruturas de Portugal even to contemplate.
Drivers can get settled in for extensive delays, long tailbacks and time to ponder how Portugal’s road system ever degenerated to the extent that is has been allowed to, with expensive tolls on formerly free roads and an historic lack of maintenance leading to much of the EN125 now being dug up as more roundabouts are constructed.
Another plan by Infraestruturas de Portugal is to build a road underpass at the railway crossing at Estômbar - €700,000 of taxpayers’ money to solve a problem that does not exist while the thought of building a railway spur to Faro airport leaves the government in a tizzy, claiming there’s no budget.
One plus point to turning the Arade Road Bridge into a single lane is the timing as if the work really is completed in a month, there will be no delays for Easter tourist traffic.
