Portimão is expanding its accessible pedestrian network by creating a new walking route between the city’s fire station and train station.
The works are part of the municipality’s Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (2024–2034) and will provide a continuous accessible pedestrian connection that passes through several busy areas, including the municipal cemetery, the local office of AIMA, the CTT post office at Largo Gil Eanes and the nearby public garden and sports area.
The project includes upgrading and adapting existing pavements, with new accessible surfaces designed to make walking safer and easier, the municipal council of Portimão says in a statement to the press.
Among the main improvements is the installation of bush-hammered concrete slabs, which create a smoother and more stable surface for pedestrians.
Damaged or uneven pavements will also be repaired, while kerbs at crossings will be lowered and accessible pedestrian crossings introduced or improved.
Special tactile paving will be added to guide and alert visually impaired pedestrians, helping them move more easily through the area.
The municipality will also reorganise or relocate several elements that currently block walkways – including street lighting poles, traffic signs, litter bins, utility cabinets and bus shelters – with the aim of removing urban barriers and making public space safer and easier to navigate.
This new section will link with an existing accessible route between the firefighters’ station and the municipal market, connected via the pavement along the eastern side of Jardim Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles.
Once finished, the intervention will add around 800 metres to the municipality’s accessible route network, which already totals around 10 kilometres of accessible urban pedestrian paths, the council says.
