Through the Regional Secretariat of Science, Technology and Equipment, the Regional Government is renovating road infrastructures near bodies of water on the island of Pico to assure the safety of the population especially during the winter, a time when streams tend to overflow their banks.

Part of the statutory visit, José Contente visited the works for the reinforcement and widening of the bridge over the Touril Stream and for the construction of a structure over the Dilúvio Stream on the island of Pico.

In the village of São Caetano, a structure over the Dilúvio Stream will be built on road E.R.N.º1-2ª to assure the drainage of the stream’s flow which is obstructed upstream by a municipal road that laterally contributes for the overflow of a number of bodies of water in that part of the island.

The Regional Secretary stressed that these works reinforce the safety of the area which is very complex given the solid flow of the streams which also drags large rocks. “This will be an integrated approach together with the local council and the Regional Secretariat of Environment and Sea. At the moment we are widening the water passage so it can handle a greater flow and solid materials, increasing the safety of the regional road,” said José Contente.

The works aim to reinforce and widen the platform, using as reference a similar project developed some years ago in a bridge along the same road a few hundred metres from this one. The works will also represent a significant advantage for the flow of traffic, because they will eliminate the current bottleneck on that stretch of the road.

In addition to the reinforcement of the arches, the bridge over the Touril Stream will be widened on both sides with two small tunnels made of reinforced concrete springing out of the existing one.

Additionally, the structural reinforcement of the foundations of the whole structure aims to flatten the stream bed. The widening will provide a significant increase in the width of the road, allowing for the construction of kerbs and pavements, which are indispensable for the safety of pedestrians along that stretch of road.

“Whenever there are not any problems during the winter, it is because we have developed projects such as this one, and we are once again preventing all situations that we consider to be critical in order to increase the safety of all Azoreans and, in this particular case, of the inhabitants of São Caetano who live at the foot of the mountain,” underlined the Regional Secretary after visiting the place where the respective construction projects were unveiled.

Moreover, José Contente mentioned that the Regional Government is dealing with all critical spots that have already been identified.

The works which represent an estimated investment of 330,000 euros have a maximum execution period of 180 days.