Regional Government to evaluate solutions for restoring access to Capelas Port on São Miguel, ensures Ana Cunha
The Regional Secretary for Transport and Public Works stated today that the Regional Government will carry out an intervention to restore road and pedestrian traffic on the access road to Capelas Port on São Miguel Island, "safeguarding its main function."
"Capelas Port serves as a shelter for many fishers from other parts of the island. Even though it harbours six or seven boats, it remains in regular use as a shelter. Therefore, we have to ensure that this function remains active and, in this context, we have to restore the road," stated Ana Cunha at the end of a visit to the site where the landslide occurred.
Ana Cunha also stressed the need to ensure that the local authority continues to have access to the port, taking into consideration that "the Village Council of Capelas is responsible for the maintenance of the port and its infrastructures."
The Secretary for Public Works stressed that the Government will analyse "various technical solutions for restoring traffic soon as possible," but they require the drafting of projects and final report by the Regional Civil Engineering Laboratory (LREC) and, as such, the intervention is not expected to take place soon. Nevertheless, the government official ensured that "a definitive solution will be outlined within the next few months."
For the time being, "LREC has already issued a few preliminary recommendations at this initial assessment phase, pointing out the need to reinforce the slope at the base where the landslide occurred" as the result of natural coastal erosion.
"It was possible to verify that the slope is unstable at the base and, therefore, it is necessary to reinforce the base of the slope and, later, carry out the intervention in the regional road," stressed Ana Cunha.
The road is blocked, and pedestrian traffic is not advisable.
In this context, the Regional Secretary urged locals not to go to that area, having also warned fishers to access the port by sea "because the road is dangerous."
Ana Cunha added that LREC will deliver its report, "proposing the measures it deems appropriate." The process will be followed by the project phase, the public tender procedure for awarding the project and, then, the tender procedure for awarding the contract work.
Hence, the "conditions will not be immediately restored, nor in a short amount of time. We still have a few months of work ahead of us," said the Regional Secretary.