738 km in 4 days on the EN2 to discover the problems of the interior

Miguel Pinto Luz will hit the road along National Road 2 to "take a snapshot of the needs" of the country's interior. The Minister of Infrastructure and Housing plans to meet with the mayors of 35 municipalities crossed by Portugal's longest road network, in a four-day road marathon that begins in Chaves on Tuesday the 21st and ends in Faro on the 24th.

In a statement, the Ministry of Infrastructure indicated that the minister will travel the entire 738-kilometer EN2 highway between Chaves and Faro. Under the motto "See to Do," the trip aims to speak with other local stakeholders, in addition to mayors, about their needs and problems, and to learn about proposals in the areas under this ministry's super-portfolio, particularly infrastructure, mobility, and housing.

The initiative stems from a challenge issued in July by the Association of Municipalities of the National Road 2 Route, which, the statement states, "was naturally postponed until after the local elections." The itinerary anticipates the minister's visit to Parliament, scheduled for October 31st, to discuss the proposed State Budget. This hearing will see the minister grilled for hours by MPs with dozens of questions about all types of infrastructure in all areas of the country.

Quoted in the statement, Miguel Pinto Luz states that "it's not enough to say we have to combat indigestion; we need to know and listen to local actors firsthand to understand their needs and challenges. We need to understand the realities. We need to see in order to act," further assuring that the "Government works every day to combat these inequalities, because we will only have territorial cohesion if we have territorial justice."