More Money Wasted ?
After the mess they have made of the new roundabouts at Cancela, and also up in Caniço, past the village pub, do we really need more mistakes made, costing millions?
The Governing Council approved, at its meeting held this Thursday, the project for the execution of the ‘Reformulation of the Santo António Junction and Access Roads’, an investment amounting to 7,650,500 euros, plus VAT at the legal rate in force.
“The main objective of this project is to decongest traffic at the Santo António junction, with particular emphasis on the branch that provides access to Avenida da Madalena,” he stated.
The proposed changes will take place along the Ribeira de São João stream, in an area bounded to the northwest by the existing roundabout between Av. da Madalena and Caminho dos Álamos, and to the southeast by the expressway next to the Santo Antonio junction.
This redesign also includes improvements to the existing roundabout east of the municipal swimming pools, which connects Caminho do Álamos, Caminho da Penteada, and Caminho da Azinhaga, and which currently has limited accessibility, both for roads and pedestrians.
The redesign of the Santo António interchange will include the construction of a new exit ramp from the VR1 (expressway) that will allow connection to Rua Dr. José Martins D’Almeida Couto, as well as:
– Two new routes: one with the duplication of Rua Maximiano Sousa “Max” between VR1 and Rua Padre Manuel Sancho de Freitas (access to the municipal swimming pools), completing the missing section from Tecnopolo; the other with the new crossing of the Ribeira de São João to allow U-turns on Rua Maximiano Sousa “Max” for vehicles going uphill.
– Intervention on existing roads , namely: widening of Av. da Madalena to allow for the duplication of the road in both directions; widening of the exit ramp from VR1 towards the Airport – Ribeira Brava to allow for the continuation of the ramp to Av. da Madalena.
– Redesign of intersections: with the compatibility of the new layout of Av. da Madalena with the recently redesigned roundabout that allows connection to Caminho dos Álamos, Rua Campo do Marítimo and Caminho da Igreja; the redesign of the junction between Av. da Madalena and Rua Padre Manuel Sancho de Freitas with connection to Rua Maximiano Sousa “Max” – Roundabout 1; the redesign of the intersection between Av. da Madalena, the entrance ramp to VR1 (Ribeira Brava – Airport direction) and the connecting section between Caminho de Santo Antonio and Av. da Madalena – Roundabout 2; and also the redesign of the roundabout between Caminhos dos Álamos, Penteada and Azinhaga – Roundabout 3.
Other conclusions of the Governing Council:
– To authorize the amendment to the program contract signed on November 20, 2024, between the Autonomous Region of Madeira and the Municipality of São Vicente, with a view to rescheduling the works associated with the project “Requalification of the Calhau de São Vicente Waterfront”, rescheduling the unexecuted works to 2026, redistributing the annual budgetary charges and maintaining the maximum financial contribution to be allocated in the amount of 3,372,500.00 euros.
–To expropriate, for the total amount of €10,968.64 (ten thousand, nine hundred and sixty-eight euros and sixty-four cents), a plot of land necessary for the work of “Construction of the expressway, Western exit of Funchal (2nd Phase – Project Amendments)”.