“We are anticipating an investment of six million euros,” Henrique Bertino told Lusa agency, announcing the existence of community financing assured by the Portuguese Environment Agency for the project.

On Friday, in a closed-door meeting, the municipal executive unanimously approved the preliminary study of the project conditioned on the carrying out of an Environmental Impact Assessment and public discussion, the period of which should be opened within days.

The procedures will take place in parallel with the preparation of the final implementation project and are required because the area is included in the coastal planning plan and is considered sensitive in environmental terms.

The mayor hopes to launch a public tender for the project by the end of this year, to be carried out over the next two years.

The construction of the new route relocated further east and further away from the cliffs of the west coast, will be divided into two phases.

The first phase, “is a route that provides lighting for the entire road from Rua 1º de Maio, that is, from the Papoa water reservoir to Largo dos Remédios, with two lanes, sidewalks, water and sanitation infrastructure and foresees the reuse of the current road to create a large promenade along the seafront for walking or cycling and continuing to take advantage of the landscape”, explained the mayor.

The proposed alternative route for the second phase of the work, between the Escola Superior de Turismo e Tecnologia do Mar de Peniche and Cabo Carvoeiro, has received negative opinions from some entities as it covers the National Ecological Reserve, which is why the municipality of Peniche decided to divide the project into two phases and move forward with the first.

To move forward with the construction of the new road, the municipality will have to expropriate land, having already carried out a survey, without however advancing the cost estimate or establishing agreements with the owners.