The association that brings together the 16 Algarve municipalities explains, in a statement, that it is in solidarity “with the concerns and demands expressed by the Aljezur Council and also calls for an urgent solution to the problem of the closure of the National Road 120, in the Odeceixe area”.

AMAL calls for an “immediate and definitive solution, so that the life and economy of this Algarve municipality, and consequently the Algarve region, do not continue to be penalised by this situation”, reads the note.

According to the association, the situation is “strongly” affecting the daily life and economy of the municipality of Aljezur, and it considers that it ends up being detrimental to the region, given the importance of this route, which connects the Algarve to the Alentejo coast.

“Given the seriously negative impact that this case is having on the region, which has been going on since March, the Algarve Intermunicipal Community understands that the resolution of the problem cannot be postponed any longer and supports the municipality’s demands,” it adds.

This issue was discussed at the last meeting of the Intermunicipal Council, and the mayor of Aljezur reported on the content of a letter he sent to several entities demanding a resolution to the situation.

The municipality says that the decision to close the road became “inevitable” in order to avoid its total collapse, with traffic currently being diverted into the town of Odeceixe and along municipal roads that do not have the characteristics to support the traffic flow of a national road.

“The local authority considers that this entire situation is the result of the disinvestment and lack of interest on the part of the central government and Infraestruturas de Portugal in the requalification of the EN120”, the note continues.

Traffic on the EN120 was preventively cut on March 19 by Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP), after a risk of landslides caused by bad weather was detected.

On 4 April, IP announced that it would move forward with a solution to restore traffic conditions on the EN120 in Aljezur.

The company guaranteed, at the time, that the launch of the procedure for executing the project would be done in the “next few days”, emphasising that the board of directors “decided to move forward immediately”.

With this work, “the circulation and safety conditions on this section of the EN120 will be restored”, he added.

IP recalled that road traffic at kilometre 128.6 of the EN120 had to be closed on 19 March, as a “preventive safety measure” due to the risk of landslides, when Portugal was under the influence of the Martinho depression, which caused strong winds and rain in mainland Portugal.