Works start on Porto Santo's Cais Velho and Pontão das Salinas
Madeira GuideA 540-day contract worth more than 5.2 million euros will repair the pillars and deck of the Cais Velho in Vila Baleira and restore the look of the Pontão das Salinas.
The Regional Secretary for Equipment and Infrastructure, Pedro Rodrigues, was on Porto Santo on Thursday to mark the start of work on the Cais Velho and the Pontão das Salinas, two seafront structures in Vila Baleira.
The Regional Government is paying more than 5.2 million euros, VAT included, and the works have 540 days to run. Rodrigues said the work would preserve centuries-old heritage tied to the history and identity of Porto Santo.
According to DN Madeira, the work on the Cais Velho covers structural repair of the pillars, rehabilitation of the deck and beams, treatment of cracks in the worn sections and protection of the foundations. To reach the pillars, divers will help install a cofferdam so the water can be pumped out, the structure inspected and then reinforced.
The second part of the contract restores the Pontão das Salinas to a form very close to its original architecture, DN Madeira reports. The structure will not return to its former use.
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Madeira Guide
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