“It is currently unsustainable for some municipalities to undertake million-dollar interventions, they simply have no way to do so,” Helena Teodósio stated, expressing concern over the financial strain on local governments to repair storm-damaged roads.
Teodósio, who leads an inter-municipal community and too serves as mayor of Cantanhede, is calling for a national fund to help finance large-scale infrastructure projects and bolster municipal budgets. The recent storms have caused significant damage and local authorities are struggling to cover the costs of repairs.
Gonçalo Costa Martins – Antena 1
The storms have impacted numerous roads, with responsibility for repairs divided between municipalities, highway concessionaires, and the national infrastructure authority, IP – Infraestruturas de Portugal.
The inter-municipal communities of Leiria and Coimbra are requesting an extension of toll exemptions.
Local officials in the Leiria and Coimbra regions say the toll exemption period ended too soon. While Coimbra is requesting a case-by-case review, the president of the Leiria inter-municipal community argues the exemption should be extended for another four months. “It is more than fair that the Government looks at this region and continues to exempt us from tolls until the complete of June,” Jorge Vala told Antena 1, citing recent information from IP regarding repairs to the EN242 and IC2 roads.
Tolls resumed on the A8, A17, A14, and A19 highways on Monday, coinciding with the end of the state of calamity. Both officials emphasized that the problems caused by the storms persist, despite the official end of the emergency declaration.
