Braga: Ínfias junction upgrade starts this week, ready in 660 days

Ínfias junction upgrade in Braga starts this week

Work to redevelop the Ínfias junction - often described as Braga’s road-network “cancer” - is due to begin this week and is scheduled to finish 660 days later, meaning completion in mid-2028.

The start date was confirmed on Monday during a City Council meeting by the council leader, João Rodrigues. He said he had urged Infrastructure of Portugal, which owns the project, to ensure that part of the construction is carried out overnight.

The scheme at the Ínfias junction, widely seen as one of Braga’s most significant traffic pinch points, has been awarded for around €11.3 million to the Braga-based contractor ABB. The junction sits where National Road 101 (the EN101/EN201 bypass) meets National Road 14 (the northern ring road/EN14 bypass).

The aim is to improve traffic flow and road safety, increase the network’s capacity to handle traffic, upgrade the links from the EN101 to Avenida António Macedo, and improve the city’s outbound routes.

Projected impact on queues and peak-time delays at Ínfias junction

According to the studies referenced, once the works are complete the queues - which can reach 4 kilometres - and the associated waiting times at peak periods will fall by more than 80%.

João Rodrigues said that the total delay affecting the 110,000 vehicles that use the roads involved each day will drop from 374 hours, in 2021, to 76 hours, in 2043, during the morning rush hour, and from 507 hours to 27 hours during the afternoon rush hour.

What the scheme includes

The plan includes building a 220-metre viaduct and redesigning the road layout, including new connecting branches between the EN101 and the EN14. It also covers changes to road and pedestrian access, earthworks, drainage, surfacing, signage, and other road-safety measures.

End of shared e-scooters

At the same meeting, councillors approved ending the contract with the shared electric e-scooter operators with whom the council had signed agreements - currently only Fastbird Rides Portugal, Single-Member Ltd and Bolt Support Services PT, Single-Member Ltd. The three councillors from the Love and Serve Braga Movement abstained.

The proposal cites "reasons of public interest, on the grounds of disruptions to road and pedestrian safety, environmental degradation of municipal public spaces, and the absence of specific municipal regulation".

Trigal Santa Maria Primary School expansion and refurbishment

The Executive also approved the architectural design and the respective specialist plans, for the purposes of submitting a funding application, for the refurbishment and expansion of Trigal Santa Maria Primary School. The estimated base value is €19.9 million, with a planned construction period of 730 days.