The Regional Government has awarded the works contract for the protection and infrastructure works of the municipal road adjacent to the playing field and the Santa Catarina cannery in Calheta, São Jorge Island, to the company Tecnovia Açores, for the price of one million and 344 thousand Euros. 

After the jury's analysis of the proposals submitted, the improvement works contract was awarded to that company with a completion period of 365 days. The beginning of the works now awaits the prior approval of the Azores Regional Section of the Court of Auditors. 

The intervention aims to protect the cliff located next to the playing field and the Santa Catarina factory, which has suffered damage due to bad weather conditions. This situation has led to a sharp retreat of the cliff and, consequently, aggravated its instability, endangering the access to the factory and other existing infrastructures on the site. 

In addition to guaranteeing the safeguarding of people and property, this work also intends to enhance that coastal area. For this purpose, it will include the construction of a rockfill embankment, support and protection walls, and the creation of footways for pedestrians. 

The rockfill embankment will be divided into two sections: one with rockfill range from one to three tonnes and the other with rockfill range from six to nine tonnes, with a total extension of 200 metres. 

The works will also include interventions in the rainwater drainage system to be carried out on the road section covered by this project. 

Supported under the Azores 2020 operational programme, this investment intends to protect and improve the coastal area in the town of Calheta, seeing that it is often hit by adverse sea conditions due to bad weather that jeopardise the safety conditions of the cliff and the adjacent road.

The coastline near the Santa Catarina cannery and the playing field in the town of Calheta has suffered damage over the years due to bad weather conditions, especially in 2019 when the archipelago was hit by storm Kyllian and hurricane Lorenzo. 

In this context, the project that had been previously developed and publicly presented in January 2019 had to be adjusted to the changes in the coastline caused by bad weather conditions.