Ana Cunha assures that contract work for improvement of Furnas-Povoação road is following its due course
The Regional Secretary for Transport and Public Works stated in Horta that the contract work for the improvement of the road between Furnas and Povoação on the island of São Miguel is "in progress."
Ana Cunha spoke at the Legislative Assembly, stressing that the "safety of people and goods" and the "improvement of road comfort and traffic conditions" are the priority goals of this intervention.
Taking into consideration these two major goals, the Regional Secretary added that the Government "is developing various solutions and studying investment scenarios, both in legal and financial terms."
"We are seeking the most suitable model for the implementation of this investment: the extension of the existing concession on the island of São Miguel, through a new and traditional concession, or directly by the Autonomous Region of the Azores," stressed Ana Cunha.
According to the Regional Secretary, "all the risks inherent to this project, not only in terms of development and construction but also in terms of investment value and subsequent management, justify the conduction of this study."
In this context, "we will have to wait for the conclusion of this study, scheduled for July or August, so that we may define the suitable form for the implementation of this investment," said the government official.
Ana Cunha recalled that, in the meantime, "the environmental impact declaration process has been completed" and, in this context, the layout designed for this work "are already validated by the environmental impact study and the environmental impact declaration. They are justified in the Furnas-Lomba do Cavaleiro road due to inadequate geometric characteristics, a winding layout and the risks associated with mass slippage."
The Regional Secretary revealed that the conclusion of this study "will be followed by "the project contracting phase."
"This means that we are not idle and that project is not halted; it is following its due course," stated the government official.
As for another phase of the intervention, which includes the construction of a bypass road to Furnas, Ana Cunha "justified the intervention given the fact that local traffic mainly uses the roads within the village of Furnas. Therefore, this is a regional road crossing an urban area, which gives rise to situations of risk not only in terms of road safety but also in terms of repercussions for the local population."