The company that manages the Portuguese railway network announced that the cut will be “total and immediate” and there is still no scheduled date for the reopening of traffic on the EN120, which connects Alcácer do Sal, in the district of Setúbal, to Lagos, in the district of Faro.
“Infraestruturas de Portugal informs that having identified the risk of landslide on the EN120 road platform at Km 128+600 (Aljezur municipality), caused by the atmospheric conditions that have been occurring, and considering the forecast of heavy rainfall for the next few hours, traffic will be completely and immediately cut off in that location, with no forecast yet for when it will reopen”, informed IP.
The company managing the Portuguese road network stressed that the adoption of this measure will “guarantee the safety of road users” and clarified that the decision was based on a “prior assessment carried out by technicians from the Geology and Geotechnics area of Infraestruturas de Portugal”.
“The cut is duly signposted for this purpose and has the support of the police authorities”, assured IP, which is in “coordination with the Municipality of Aljezur, within the scope of its responsibilities in Civil Protection and land management, as well as with the Municipality of Odemira”, a municipality neighbouring Aljezur which is also crossed by the National Road 120.
IP advised road users to plan their journeys, “especially long-distance and heavy journeys”, using “alternative routes”.
Aljezur is one of the 16 municipalities in the district of Faro, which is under a yellow meteorological warning due to rain, wind and rough seas, until the end of the afternoon, when it will change to an orange warning due to the arrival of depression Martinho, which will cross the national territory in the early hours of next morning and on Thursday, also putting the districts of Beja, Setúbal, Lisbon and Leiria on alert due to the worsening weather conditions.
What the article fails to mention is the exact location of the closure. Going north from Rogil the road is closed right after the turn-off into Malhadaes until the turn-off into Odeceixe right across the Seixe River from Baiona. For at least the past week part of this road had been made into a one-way due to evidence of an impending collapse on the big switch-back. Traffic is being re-routed toward Praia de Odeceixe and then back through Joao Roupeiro until meeting the EN120 right south of Maria Vinagre, probably about a 10km diversion.
By Greg Shill from Algarve on 20 Mar 2025, 12:51
The road is closed between the top of Odeceixe and the bridge to Alentejo. No diversion is marked. A lot of traffic is using the steep cobblestone local access road. Accidents are likely.
By Mark Holden from Algarve on 20 Mar 2025, 14:23