A deafening wall of silence surrounds the Algarve's EN125 paralysed roadworks - contractors, sub-contractors and government all are keeping quiet over the state of play.
What is plain to see is that all work remains on hold, as it was at the beginning of May, even though the significant upgrade should have restarted on September 1st.
Sites, such as the bridge over the Arade bridge near Portimão, (pictured below) remain 'as were' with scaffolding in place on one of the towers but with no work going on.
One of the Algarve's business associations, Algfuturo, says the failure to recommence the work is "a blow to tourism and shows a disregard for the Algarve."
According to Algfuturo "a month after the re-start date, equipment depots are abandoned, most of the subcontractors have given up due to a lack of payment and subsequent debts, nothing is known and this all gives a very bad image with unfinished work increasing the risk of accidents.
"This is a hammer blow for tourism and both public and private entities are showing a total disregard for the Algarve by blocking information - this indicates that something very serious is happening behind the scenes."
Algfuturo's leaders went on a fact-finding mission and drove along the EN125 between Faro and Vila do Bispo. They describe "a depressing panorama of desolation," with the notable exception of "five men doing some work near Vila do Bispo."
For Algfuturo, "the blow to tourism, in addition to the unfinished work, is from the one-way sections, the unfinshed road surfaces and the poor signage," which leads the association to conclude that the project is unlikely to be finished before Easter 2017, it is more likely to continue into next summer if the roadworks restart at all.
For Algfuturo, "it is unacceptable for a work of significant public interest to be hidden behind a wall of silence built by the authorities who should be transparent in their dealings."
