Lisbon, Aug. 3, 2026 (Lusa) - The Government has authorised the road and rail infrastructure managing company, Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP) to spend €79.7 million by 2028 on repairs to roads damaged by the storms in January and February across six regions.
According to a ministerial order published on Monday, these funds are earmarked for work on roads in the regions of Leiria, Santarém, Aveiro, Lisbon, Coimbra and Castelo Branco, taking into account the degraded road surface, the instability of embankments and the inadequacy or collapse of drainage systems following the storms at the start of the year.
IP is authorised to allocate, over the next two years, expenditure up to a maximum total of €79.7 million, plus VAT, of which €21.2 million this year, €51.3 million in 2027 and €7.1 million in 2028.
The planned projects involving the largest investments are in the regions of Santarém, representing a total of €18.3 million by 2028, Leiria (€18.5 million) and Aveiro (€18.9 million).
For projects in the Lisbon region, €9.7 million is earmarked; for Castelo Branco, €8.8 million; and for Coimbra, €5.3 million.
The amount set for each financial year may be increased by the balance carried over from the previous year.
IP must submit a half-yearly report on the implementation of the projects/actions, within 30 days of the end of the half-year, to the members of the Government responsible for Finance and Infrastructure, as well as to the Budgetary Authority.
Six months ago, several storms – notably the low-pressure systems Kristin, Leonardo and Marta – struck the mainland within three weeks from the end of January, causing at least 19 deaths (more than half of them during recovery work), several hundred people were injured, made homeless or displaced, particularly in municipalities across the Centre, Lisbon and Tagus Valley, and Alentejo regions.
More than 35,000 homes were affected across the country; over one million people were left without electricity; half a million customers were without telecommunications services; more than 18,000 claims or emergency incidents were recorded by the end of the first half of February; and more than 200,000 claims were filed.
The estimated losses amount to more than €5.3 billion.
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