The Setúbal City Council is developing a project that could allow access to the Arrábida beaches by sea from 2027, creating an alternative to the road constraints that have marked recent times in that coastal area. The intention is to provide a service with prices similar to those charged on public transport covered by the Navegante pass.
According to the news agency, the city hall has already started contacts with private operators who have expressed their willingness to ensure these maritime connections. The measure comes at a time when road access to the Arrábida mountain range remains restricted for safety reasons.
Solution designed to ease the roads
The vice-mayor of Setúbal, Maria do Carmo Tiago, explained that the objective is to reduce the pressure of vehicles on access to beaches and offer a sustainable alternative to visitors. “It’s a project to develop for next year,” he told the news agency.
According to the same source, the municipality intends for the service to operate at rates equivalent to those of other public transport in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. However, the implementation of this solution still depends on coordination with several entities, including Transportes Metropolitanos de Lisboa.
Storms accelerated the search for alternatives
The proposal gained strength after the storms that hit the city in the first months of the year. The meteorological phenomena worsened the instability of the Arrábida cliffs and forced the implementation of restrictions on several road sections for safety reasons.
Maria do Carmo Tiago also explained that the maritime solution will not be able to move forward this summer season. Before that, it will be necessary to create support infrastructure for docking vessels and boarding and disembarking passengers near the beaches.
Investments continue to be necessary
In parallel with the development of new transport, the municipality continues to identify interventions considered priorities on the waterfront. Among them is the repair of the slope that gave way next to the access to Albarquel Beach.
According to the same source, the work is currently estimated at around R$6.9 million. The city hall is also monitoring the situation of a rock mass weighing approximately 2 thousand tons that lies between the beaches of Figueirinha and Galapos and which presents a risk of collapse.
Request for support to recover damages
To respond to the damage caused by the weather, the Setúbal Chamber presented to the Government and the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Regional Coordination and Development Commission an overall estimate of around 50 million euros.
Lusa says that this value includes interventions in Arrábida, cliff stabilization work, repairs to affected infrastructure and other necessary works in different areas of the municipality, including areas in the parish of Azeitão.
What could change in 2027
If progress is made within the expected deadlines, maritime transport could become a new way of reaching some of the most popular beaches in the region. The bet aims not only to improve mobility during the summer, but also to reduce car dependence in a particularly environmentally sensitive area.
For now, the municipality is awaiting the development of the necessary studies and articulations, at the same time as it is seeking public financing to support investments associated with the recovery of damage caused by the extreme meteorological phenomena recorded at the beginning of the year.
Also read:
