“This is a structural and extremely complex project, with a strong impact on people and property, as well as changes in nature itself, as was the case with the floods of 1 November 2015, a scenario that we do not want to see repeated”, stressed the mayor, José Carlos Rolo, quoted in a statement.

According to the statement, this is an infrastructure built under the Albufeira General Drainage Plan and whose investment is in the order of two million euros, with the aim of preventing the influx of high flows into the city centre.

The project includes a set of “structural and complementary” interventions, designed to minimise the problems caused by flooding in the basins of the Albufeira and Inatel rivers, with particular relevance in the lower part of the city.

The construction of the structure will affect traffic on Avenida do Ténis and adjacent streets, implying their restriction and closures, whenever necessary, the note reads.

The mayor also emphasises that the construction of the collector on the western half-slope will allow the remodelling of infrastructures, which “are currently obsolete”, in the areas of water supply, sanitation and public lighting and, above all, reduce the risk of flooding and destruction by flooding in the lower areas of the city.

The project is part of the Albufeira General Drainage Plan, an investment worth a total of 21 million euros, which includes the future construction of a new tunnel, urban collectors to the east, still to be built, and to the west, work that has now begun.

The half-slope collector on the western slope is a storm drainage infrastructure in the Cerro Grande area, which aims to prevent high flows from flowing into the lower part of the city of Albufeira.

The intervention is being carried out along Avenida do Ténis up to the viewpoint in Coronel Águas, allowing the flow from upstream of the Marina to be collected, which currently flows into the lower part of the city via surface runoff.

The planned works include the installation of all equipment, structures, earthmoving, civil construction, supply, assembly and testing of electromechanical equipment and the construction of technical networks (water, drainage, electrical and telecommunications networks, among others).

The works include the construction of reinforced concrete collectors with a diameter of 800 millimetres (mm) over a length of 93 metres, reinforced concrete collectors with a diameter of 1000 mm over a length of 369 metres, reinforced concrete collectors with a diameter of 1,200 mm over a length of 20 metres and the construction of sumps to reinforce the collection of surface runoff.

The works will also allow the installation of a stepped spillway with an elevation difference of 27 metres over a length of 31.2 metres horizontally and an energy dissipation basin.

To minimise inconvenience to motorists, pedestrians and residents in the area, the work will be carried out in four phases.

The first phase will focus on the northern area of ​​Avenida do Ténis, the second on the southern area of ​​Avenida do Ténis, the third covers the area in the middle of Rua Coronel Águas and the fourth the southwest section of Rua Coronel Águas, as well as the streets adjacent to the areas affected in all phases.