1st anniversary of the inter-municipal association whose objective is the recovery of a river
The Association of Municipalities Corredor do Rio Leça yesterday celebrated its first anniversary, in a ceremony that took place at its headquarters, at the Lionesa Business Center.
Present were the Mayor of Matosinhos, Luísa Salgueiro, the Mayor of Santo Tirso, Alberto Costa, the Vice-Mayor of Valongo, Ana Maria Martins, the Councilor for the Environment of Matosinhos, Manuela Álvares, the Councilor of Maia , Marta Peneda, the Councilor of Santo Tirso, Ana Maria Ferreira, the president of the union of the parishes of Custóias, Leça do Balio and Guifões, Pedro Gonçalves, the president of the union of the parishes of S. Mamede de Infesta and Senhora da Hora, Leonardo Fernandes, and the Vice-President of the Portuguese Environment Agency, José Pimenta Machado.
Established on May 31, 2021, the Association of Municipalities Corredor do Rio Leça is the first inter-municipal association in the country to aim at the recovery of a river and which brings together the municipalities of Santo Tirso, Valongo, Maia and Matosinhos.
The Leça River, which starts in Santo Tirso and flows into Matosinhos, is 45 kilometers long. For several decades it was considered one of the most polluted rivers in Europe.
The Association of Municipalities Corredor do Rio Leça is dedicated to the management, execution and maintenance of the Strategic Plan for the Recovery of the Leça River 2020/2030, with a total estimated budget of 28 million euros and using community funding.
The main objectives of the Association of Municipalities Corredor do Rio Leça are the ecological recovery of the river and the landscape, cultural and socio-economic enhancement of the territory that it crosses, from its source to its mouth, as well as the promotion of knowledge, new opportunities for mobility. leisure, leisure and stay along the river, environmental awareness, appreciation of contact with nature, ecosystem services and outdoor life.
The Municipality of Matosinhos presented the “Corredor Verde do Leça”, an environmental and mobility project, with a strong cultural, economic, tourist and social nature, which will allow the landscape and environmental enhancement of the Leça River and its banks, and contribute for territorial cohesion, linking the coast to the interior, through its own channel for the use of soft modes of transport.
In addition to the requalification and revitalization of the banks of the Leça River and its surroundings, the project foresees the construction of a pedestrian and cycling route along its banks, creating an alternative mobility for daily travel, on foot and by bicycle, between the residential areas and business areas located in its surroundings.
The municipality of Matosinhos believes that the “Corredor Verde do Leça” will be the first step towards the complete depollution of the river course and the enhancement of the landscape of the riverbanks, transforming them into a leisure area and returning them to the enjoyment of the population.
Co-financed by the ERDF, through the community program Portugal 2020/Norte 2020, the project will be implemented in three phases, with a total of 18 km intervened.
The first phase, between the Moreira and Pedra bridges (including the connection to Picoutos), with a length of 6.9 km, is already completed and will be inaugurated next Saturday.
The investment amounted to 7.2 million euros and included the construction of a cycle path and pedestrian paths, among other improvements, increasing the visibility of the Leça River and its sources of pollution, promoting greater contact with nature and new opportunities for mobility along the river.
This is followed by the second phase, which comprises the Moreira and Carro bridges, with a length of 6.1 km. With an execution period of 18 months, the project is budgeted at five million euros.
The third phase, between Ponte do Carro and the Port of Leixões/Foz do Rio Leça, with connections to the center of Matosinhos and Leça da Palmeira, will have a length of 4.7 km.