The Mayor of Vila Nova de Famalicão, Paulo Cunha, and the Mayor of Póvoa de Varzim, Aires Pereira, inaugurate next Saturday, July 10th, the Cycle Pedestrian Route between Vila Nova de Famalicão and Póvoa de Varzim, built in the old railway branch line that connects the two cities, in a total extension of 27 kilometres.
Paulo Cunha and Aires Pereira started by unveiling a plaque allusive to the opening of the infrastructure near the beginning of the cycling path in each county and, after walking each one of its extension, they met at 10h00, at the point of the path that marks the border between the two territories, in the passage from Gondifelos to Balasar (GPS coordinates: X: -40944.6; Y: 193663.4)
The work had a total cost of 4 333 644.27 euros and benefited from ERDF co-financing under the Norte 2020 Operational Programme in the amount of 3 683 598.63 euros.
The new infrastructure offers excellent conditions for sustainable mobility, but also for sports practice or simply for leisure. The old train route, which closed in 1995, gave way to people who can enjoy a route with river, trees, fields, walkways, vegetable gardens and animals on foot or by bicycle.
The Cycle Pedestrian Route is thus positioned as a new mobility route that allows people to replace roads and cars. It has public lighting along its entire length and is paved with asphalt and paint to distinguish the spaces for pedestrians and bicycles. The width is 3.30 metres and there are intense and diverse vertical and horizontal signs.
The same profile, design, width and equipment of the road is the result of technical cooperation between the two municipalities. Each municipality promoted the execution of the construction work in its municipality, having the same project as a starting point.
Infrastructure:
- Length: 27 km
- Total number of residents covered by the Via: 80,000 inhabitants/residents;
- Green spaces rehabilitated: 167,841 m2
- No. of new trees planted: 27
- No. of parking spaces reserved for the disabled: 7
- Service areas along the route (bars/Rest areas): 12
Environment:
- Expected reduction in CO2 emissions: 13555 tonnes in 2023;
- Reduction of energy consumption: LED street lighting