Lisbon, Feb. 16, 2021 (Lusa) - The Portuguese government plans to invest €110 million in roads to ensure cross-border connections between Portugal and Spain, including the construction of two bridges, according to the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), put out to public consultation on Tuesday.

Foreseen in the Common Strategy for Cross-Border Development, an agreement established between Portugal and Spain in October 2020, the road infrastructures covered by the RRP are the new bridge between Sanlucar del Guadiana and Alcoutim, and the international bridge over the River Sever between Cedillo and Nisa.

Also planned are interventions on the National Road (EN) 103, between Vinhais and Bragança, on the Complementary Itinerary (IC) 31, between Castelo Branco and Monfortinho, and on the link between Bragança and Puebla de Sanabria, according to the RRP.

The total amount of €110 million aims to "leverage the development of cross-border mobility and the reduction of context costs by implementing investments," the government said, adding that Infraestruturas de Portugal will undertake the road investments.

Regarding the construction of bridges over the Rivers Sever and Guadiana, the works should be managed by the Coordination and Regional Development Commissions (CCDR) of Alentejo and Algarve.

The RRP includes a total of €833 million for infrastructures to "strengthen resilience and territorial cohesion, increase the competitiveness of the productive fabric and contribute to the reduction of context costs, particularly in access to markets.

In addition to €110 million for cross-border connections, another €110 million is earmarked for Business Estates and €362.9 million for missing links and increasing network capacity, with road interventions in various infrastructures, including the Main Road (IP) 3, EN14, EN4, IC35, IP2, EN344, EN125, IC2 and IP8.

The business estates also have €190 million for road accesses, to create the "most adequate support to guarantee the efficient and economical flow of goods".

Investment in infrastructure also includes €60 million for logistics circuits in the Azores Regional Road Network, which includes "improving accessibility to population centres and centres of economic activity and the main accessibility infrastructures of the islands, the aerodrome/airport and seaports, intervention in bypasses and circular roads to major urban centres, the installation of road terminals and parking outside urban centres, and the upgrading of road signs.

SSM/ADB // ADB.

Lusa