An official statement from Cascais council says the entrance to the town is to be renovated to allow “better traffic flow” and greater “mobility and accessibility”. The works on the axis formed by Avenida 25 de Abril and Praça Dr Francisco Sá Carneiro started at the beginning of October and are expected to continue until next April.
The works will include “a new bus terminal” that is intended to contribute “positively” to the public transport network in the town and across the municipality. A reversible traffic light-controlled lane will also be formed to “better address the needs of traffic flow.” Other infrastructures to be built will include a rainwater collector as well as “the replacement or relocation of drains and the repositioning of road signs.” The works will mean that some traffic restrictions will be put in place for a few months, with the work being phased to “minimise the inconvenience as much as possible.”
It is worth noting that the Cascais Villa shopping centre on this eastern entrance to the town will also be demolished to make way for a new residential and retail development that the Expresso newspaper claims is by the renowned British architect Norman Foster. The demolition is expected to take place in the next two years, with the redevelopment completed two or three years after that.
The mayor of Cascais, Carlos Carreiras, spoke about this in an interview with Time Out Cascais back in July. “Someone once told me that the problem with Cascais is that we enter it as if we are coming through the back door. Because it’s not very pretty,” he said. “Right now the first phase is being refurbished and will continue with the closure and demolition of the Cascais Villa [shopping centre]. I’ve seen the project plans, and it’s absolutely extraordinary. The idea is to enter the town through greenery, always surrounded by greenery. We will also intervene in the abandoned land that has been long neglected on the other side of Cascais Villa. We believe it will no longer seem like you are coming in through the back, but rather through the front and with all pomp and circumstance – and also with values that are important to us, especially urban greenery, which is very important for a number of reasons, including mitigating the increasingly hot weather we are experiencing.”