Mayor says road is “vital for local community and businesses”
The mayor of São Brás de Alportel is demanding quick action to repair the damaged section of the National Road 2 (EN2) – the iconic road which stretches from Chaves in the north to Faro in the south and is promoted as Portugal’s Route 66 – which is currently closed due to concerns over a potential collapse risk.
In a statement released to the press, mayor Vítor Guerreiro says restoring this key road is “vital for the community’s daily life, economy, and tourism.”
The road is currently closed at kilometre 710.5, between Ameixial (Loulé) and São Brás de Alportel, because of safety risks caused by unstable ground. The situation was identified by Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP), the national road authority, which is now carrying out preventive work.
To speed up a solution, mayor Guerreiro requested an urgent on-site meeting with IP’s national president, Miguel Cruz. The meeting took place on Friday morning (July 11) and included other São Brás officials: deputy mayor Marlene Guerreiro, responsible for tourism and economic development; councillor David Gonçalves, in charge of traffic; and municipal engineers. Meanwhile, Miguel Cruz was joined by a technical team from IP.
During the visit, the teams reviewed the damage and discussed ways to solve the problem quickly and reduce the negative effects of the road closure.
As the local council points out, the EN2 is a crucially important road for local people and businesses, especially those in the Caldeirão Mountains.
“The municipal council clearly and determinedly expressed the urgent need for an effective response, calling for the utmost sensibility from IP in light of the strategic importance of this road to the municipality and the (Algarve) region,” says the council.
It adds that it has been closely following the situation since the beginning, and that it remains fully committed to defending the interests of affected residents and businesses and is ready to cooperate with all relevant authorities.
To help reduce the impact during the closure, an alternative route for light vehicles has been made available through municipal roads from Barranco do Velho, using the EM1202 road via the village of Javali. The town is working to improve this road and to share information about the detour.
The EN2 is the largest national road in Portugal and the only one in Europe that crosses a country in its entire length. In the Algarve, it crosses the municipalities of Loulé, São Brás de Alportel and Faro. Just last month, it was named ‘International Route of the Year’ at the prestigious 2025 Mototourism Awards (Premios Mototurismo) in Spain.
