The new Eastern Variant of Évora to IP2 was officially inaugurated on September 3rd, at a ceremony attended by the vice-president of the Municipality of Évora, Jerónimo José, and the Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Hugo Espírito Santo. The infrastructure, with approximately 13 kilometres in length and a north-south orientation, has a dual carriageway and creates a connection between the Eastern Node of the A6/IP7 and the São Manços area, establishing an alternative to the current route of IP2.
The municipality of Évora estimates that the new variant will allow a reduction of between 30% and 40% in the volume of traffic in the surrounding urban area, diverting a significant portion of heavy vehicles that currently cross the city. Jerónimo José classified the opening as "a historic moment that marks the end of a wait of more than a decade" and "an axis of progress for the region," highlighting the possibility of removing through traffic from the historic centre.
The construction represents an investment of 54.9 million euros, funded through the Recovery and Resilience Plan, being the intervention with the highest award value among the investments executed by Infraestruturas de Portugal under the PRR. IP points out that the infrastructure should contribute to increasing road safety and traffic flow, reducing congestion and improving accessibility to the industrial and technology areas of the region.
The percentage of traffic reduction represents, at this stage, an estimate by the municipality, since the effective impact of the new road on circulation within the city may be assessed later through traffic data. With the new connection, through traffic now has an alternative outside the city, changing road circulation on one of the main entry and transit axes of Évora.
