The intervention aims to transform the dynamics of Guarda, redefining the connection between the city's neighborhoods, mobility between the center and the periphery, and how the residents experience the city. A new link of approximately one kilometer will be created between the city center and the Guarda External Ring Road – VICEG, connecting the urban network of the surrounding neighborhoods – Bairro Nª Sr.ª dos Remédios, Bairro da Luz, Bairro do Pinheiro, and Póvoa do Mileu – and the Industrial Park.
The project includes a soft mobility structure with shared pedestrian and cycling paths, recreational facilities, and the safeguarding of trees and green spaces, in line with ecological corridors. The contract will also create a new urban expansion front, allowing for the construction of 500 housing units and doubling the existing area of the Industrial Park.
The project was awarded to a consortium of three local companies. At the signing ceremony, the Mayor, Sérgio Costa, highlighted that this is the “most important project in the recent history of Guarda,” adding a sixth F to the city, that of future, making it “more cohesive, more central, and connected to Europe”.
The construction of this bypass, an aspiration for over three decades, strengthens Guarda's capacity to retain population, attract investment, and ensure a better quality of life, serving as a central piece of the Guarda 2040 Strategic Plan.
