Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP) will invest a total of 700 million euros in the Alentejo by the end of 2028, in road and rail works distributed across the three districts of the region. The announcement was made by the Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Hugo Espírito Santo, during the inauguration of the new Eastern Variant to Évora of the Itinerário Principal 2 (IP2).
The new variant, with 12.8 kilometres in length and motorway profile, resulted from an investment of 54.9 million euros funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR). The road connects the Eastern Évora node of Motorway 6 (A6) to National Road 18 (EN18), allowing the removal of between 30% to 40% of the traffic circulating within the city, according to the vice-president of the Évora City Hall, Jerónimo José.
The government official highlighted that the PRR allowed IP a new cycle of investment after several years in which the company was in a minimal maintenance logic. When questioned about the IP2 section still missing near Évora, Hugo Espírito Santo indicated that IP is working to launch and complete it.
The PCP demanded the completion of the section between the variant and the Ramal de S. Manços, whose works stopped in 2011. PS deputy Luís Dias considered the work relevant but warned that the PSD/CDS-PP government should not politically appropriate investments decided and funded by socialist governments under the PRR.
