Coimbra, Portugal, Dec. 30, 2024 (Lusa) - A bridge from the medieval period found in the Mondego Mobility System contract near Coimbra-B station will delay the work and could have implications for the solution for the intermodal station.
The contract for the Mondego Mobility System (SMM) next to the Coimbra-B train station recently suffered a setback after the discovery of a ‘perfect round arch bridge in limestone masonry, probably dating from the medieval period’, an official source from Metro Mondego told Lusa, citing explanations from Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP), the organisation responsible for the works.
According to IP, this archaeological find will require ‘project changes’, with the planned work to adapt the Coimbra-B tunnel to the SMM (articulated electric buses running on a dedicated track) being ‘inevitably affected’.
In view of the discovery, the tunnel project ‘is currently being altered to make this structure compatible with the preservation of the existing bridge,’ he added.
The discovery of the bridge will extend the work front and result in traffic constraints under the Coimbra-B tunnel (also known as Estação Velha). Still, IP predicts that the archaeological findings will not impact the completion date of the SMM project between Portagem and the train station.
As well as changes to the current SMM project in that area, the discovery of the bridge was also made known to the team of Catalan architect Joan Busquets, who is responsible for designing the urban project for the area of Coimbra's future intermodal station, to be built as part of the high-speed line linking Lisbon to Porto, IP said.
It said the finds could ‘also interfere with the solution envisaged’ by architect Joan Busquets for the subway in the detailed plan for the future intermodal station.
Asked about the fate of the bridge that has now been discovered, IP said that the Centro Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDRC) and the Coimbra City Council will decide to preserve the archaeological finds.
The SMM will serve Coimbra, Miranda do Corvo and Lousã with electric buses on dedicated tracks, with a suburban operation (between the three municipalities) and an urban operation in Coimbra.
As part of the SMM, the Coimbra-A station (Estação Nova) will be closed at the beginning of 2025, and the railway connection between the two stations in the city is due to end.
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