City Council confirms work has fallen behind schedule
The construction of drainage channels in the city of LIsbon is six months behind schedule. Considering the scope of the project, this is nothing ‘to write home about’. Indeed, when the start date of the €250 million project was announced in 2022, it was always accepted that delays would come, as would increases in costs.
Lisbon City Council has thus confirmed the latest situation, setting the new completion date for October 27 this year. It puts the current delay mainly down to ‘changes in land legislation, and the archeology of the city itself’.
As explained in detail when this project was unveiled, it involves the construction of two large diameter underground tunnels, one between Monsanto and Santa Apolónia and the other between Chelas and Beato.
The tunnels deep underground promise to solve around 80% of the city’s flooding problems – a perennial hazard that has caused endless damage and heartache over the years.
A proposal to extend the deadline for the work has already been approved, albeit with Citizens for Lisbon voting against and the other parties on the council (PS, PCP communists, LIVRE and Bloco de Esquerda) abstaining.
According to reports, the PS believes the delay – and the costs – will be even greater than those announced now. It recalls that “the last extension brought to a town hall meeting still didn’t include the delays relating to 2024 and 2025”.
“These are delays that the project manager admits have not yet been accounted for and that the municipality says are unpredictable”, reports SIC Notícias.
The PSD executive however says it is still premature to talk about new figures – which has seen the PS accuse it of ‘a lack of transparency when it comes to costs’.
Source material: SIC Notícias
