Socialist MPs representing the Algarve have called for urgent government action to repair a section of the EN2 national road that has been closed to traffic for almost a year.
The affected stretch, at kilometre 710.5 in São Brás de Alportel, has been shut since June 2025 due to safety concerns related to instability in the road embankment.
In a formal question sent to the Minister for Infrastructure and Housing, MPs Vítor Guerreiro – mayor of São Brás between 2013 and 2025 and current president of the municipal assembly – and Luís Graça asked when work to stabilise the site will begin and when the road is expected to reopen.
They argue that the EN2 is a vital route for residents and workers in the interior Algarve, particularly in parts of Loulé and São Brás de Alportel. Despite repeated government announcements about planned repairs through Infraestruturas de Portugal, construction has yet to start.
During a visit to the area in October 2025, the infrastructure minister said the work would be completed by the end of the first half of 2026, a deadline the MPs now consider unrealistic.
With no progress on the ground, residents have launched a public petition, already signed by over 500 people, citing a lack of response from authorities and the absence of viable alternative routes.
Local roads being used as detours are not designed for the volume or type of traffic now passing through them, leading to damage and raising safety concerns, the MPs point out.
The MPs warn that continued delays risk isolating communities, particularly in more remote areas such as the Serra do Caldeirão, where access to essential services is already limited and the population is ageing.
They also highlight the wider impact on the local economy, tourism and connections between the interior and coastal areas.
In their request, the MPs ask the government not only when the repairs will begin, but also whether temporary solutions are being considered to restore safe mobility. They further question whether the state will help fund repairs to municipal roads damaged by diverted traffic.
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. Last year, it was named ‘International Route of the Year’ at the prestigious 2025 Mototourism Awards (Premios Mototurismo) in Spain.
