The Intermunicipal Community (CIM) of Alto Minho met in Ponte de Lima to present the result of the "Paredes de Coura Summit", an agreement reached between the ten representatives of the districts of the region on infrastructure and accessibility. The synthesis document identifies the urgent needs of the region and estimates an investment of 300 million euros for the requalification or construction of accessibility.
The priorities were organized in three axes. The Minho Valley Axis calls for immediate resolution for the construction of the Valença/Monção/Melgaço Variant to Salvaterra, in Galicia, and the extension of the A28 between Vila Nova de Cerveira and the Sapardos Junction. The Lima Valley Axis aims at the connection to the border of Madalena through IC28, the requalification of the EN 203 and EN 304-1 roads, the variant of Ponte de Lima and a direct railway connection to the Sea Port of Viana do Castelo. The third axis refers to the interior of Minho, with the requalification of the EN 101 between Arcos de Valdevez and Monção and solutions for Paredes de Coura.
António Barbosa, president of CIM Alto Minho, argued that the territory already has a strong economy and that it is not asking for infrastructure to save something, but rather to respond to the economy that already exists. He mentioned that the export sector of the region is growing exponentially and is heading towards 3 billion euros, considering that there are territories that received high investments without this resulting in concrete benefits.
Regarding the viability of the project, António Barbosa revealed that CIM had a meeting with the Minister of Infrastructure a month ago, in which they were well received, with willingness to move forward quickly. The president highlighted that they do not expect everything to be done at once, but they want the document to be recognized by the Government.
