Câmara de Gaia approves international public tender of 2,5 million euros for projects

James H. Amos • August 19, 2026 06:13

Vila Nova de Gaia City Council has signed off the launch of an international public tender, with a base value of 2,5 million euros, to produce the design projects. The works will then be put forward for European funding.

The plan covers six strategic routes that are intended to underpin mobility across the municipality, running from the coast to inland areas and connecting centres with different roles. Several of these corridors have been on the table for years. The council decision clears the way for an international procurement process to commission the designs, with one of the items focused on a rehabilitation scheme.

The tender package includes the construction of VL1 (Santa Marinha/Canidelo), VL3 (Vilar do Paraíso/Madalena), VL11 (Canelas/Serzedo) and the link from Estádio Jorge Sampaio to the Carvalhos junction. Alongside these, the programme also brings together the refurbishment of VL10 (Gervide/Oliveira do Douro) and the construction of VL7 (Santa Marinha/Madalena). Taken as a whole, the set of interventions reflects the priority the PSD/CDS/IL coalition executive has placed on mobility from the outset, under the leadership of Social Democrat Luís Filipe Menezes.

“These infrastructures will play a decisive role in improving connections between the main urban, residential and industrial centres, helping to improve residents’ quality of life,” says Firmino Pereira, Vice-President of Gaia City Council and the portfolio holder for Municipal Works.

The tender is positioned as the first step before contracting the construction works and submitting applications for European and national funds. “The planned interventions reflect a clear commitment to modernising the road network,” he adds.

More safety

While every route is presented as important, the council particularly highlights the creation of new axes in the inland areas of Canelas, Serzedo and Pedroso. As for the avenue down to the sea, work has already started and is to be completed.

Firmino Pereira stresses that the programme goes beyond resurfacing. The benefits are wider, because the interventions included in the international public tender span several areas, including environmental considerations.

“An integrated response will be promoted, covering the refurbishment of road surfaces, improvements to drainage systems, strengthening road safety, removing barriers to mobility by promoting universal accessibility, reorganising vehicle and pedestrian circulation, and adapting the infrastructure to current technical, legal and environmental requirements,” the council vice-president emphasises.

VL1 – Between Santa Marinha and Canidelo

This project is intended to deliver an “alternative route to Rua da Bélgica”. It will run from the Engenheiro Edgar Cardoso roundabout in Santa Marinha-where the metro will be-through to the Manuel Marques Gomes roundabout in Canidelo. In a densely populated area, “the aim is for this axis to contribute decisively to improving the public transport offer in the north-west sector of the city, with attractive alternatives to the car”.

VL3 – From Vilar do Paraíso to Madalena

According to the proposal, this road will connect the “Santo Ovídio junction [in the city centre] to the sea”, making use of the “public transport dedicated corridor on Avenida de Gonçalo Ribeiro Teles”. In doing so, it will be framed “within a new model of urban planning sustainability” and laid out between Rua do Jardim and Rua dos Combatentes. The new route, the council says, will include “dedicated public transport corridors and cycle lanes, as well as complementary ecological corridors”.

VL11 – From Canelas to Serzedo

Here, the municipality’s goal is a “new access built from Via Jean Piaget, in Canelas, to Avenida de Jaime Isidoro (VL5), in Serzedo, with improvements expected in urban mobility conditions and territorial regeneration”. Planned for an “urban area with strong transformation potential”, this connecting road is seen as particularly significant because it will “cross industrial zones”, which require suitable access.

VL10 – From Gervide to Oliveira do Douro

The VL10 scheme, between the Gervide junction (C23) and Rua de Mariz in Oliveira do Douro, will also draw on the existing dedicated public transport corridor along Avenida de Vasco da Gama (EN 222). It likewise “rests on a new model of urban planning sustainability, as regards the structures that support mobility, namely bus corridors and cycle lanes”. The “ecological corridors” are described as an inseparable complement to the plan.

Jorge Sampaio – Linking the stadium to the Carvalhos junction

This is also presented as a strategic corridor, designed to bring Estádio Jorge Sampaio in Pedroso closer to the Carvalhos junction. “It will strengthen accessibility between the centre of Carvalhos and the stadium, promoting greater territorial cohesion, improved functionality in the road network and better urban quality,” the justification states.

VL7 – Between Santa Marinha and Madalena

The intention is to upgrade the route from the Edgar Cardoso roundabout in Santa Marinha to the junction with Rua do Cerro in Madalena. “In a dense urban area, the aim is to equip VL7 with capacity for preferential integration with passenger public transport at the future interchange of the metro’s Ruby Line.”

Find out more

Access to the hospital

This was one of the pledges made at the start of the year that is now being delivered: resurfacing Rua Conceição Fernandes, which links Santo Ovídio to Gaia Hospital. Its condition had deteriorated badly and required council intervention, not least because it is a crucial route for reaching the hospital.