The completion of the first of two tunnels of the PGDL was marked this afternoon in a ceremony attended by the Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, and the European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience, and Competitive Circular Economy, Jéssica Roswall.
“Today is a very happy day for Lisbon. It’s a historic day because this is the largest project, the largest in Europe. In continental Europe, there is no project like this,” the mayor stated.
The project in question is the completion of a tunnel, about five kilometers long, which began construction in December 2023 and connects the Campolide area to Santa Apolónia.
“We are talking about a tunnel that starts in Campolide and runs underground at 40, 70 meters, passing under Avenida da Liberdade, the Hospital de Santa Marta, and Almirante Reis, until it reaches here [Santa Apolónia],” Carlos Moedas highlighted.
The mayor emphasized that this project, besides protecting “Lisbon residents” from floods, “also prepares for the future effects of climate change and water scarcity.”
“We will save a lot of water here because we built this project not only to protect from floods but also (…) it will have a reservoir of 17,000 cubic meters, where this rainwater can be reused,” he pointed out.
Accompanying the mayor, the Minister of Environment also highlighted the importance of this project for water utilization and reuse, avoiding waste.
“It is the largest project, as already mentioned, in continental Europe, and it’s a project [in an area] that is exactly one of our Ministry and Government’s priorities, which is water. For us, water involves quality and availability, combating inefficiencies and losses,” said Maria Graça Carvalho.
The intention was corroborated by European Commissioner Jéssica Roswall, who praised the actions of the Lisbon City Council.
“I want to say that water resilience is one of the European Commission’s priorities. Projects like this are an example because we need action. I am very impressed with this,” she declared.
With the completion of this first tunnel, the construction of a second one will begin, which will connect the Beato area to Chelas.
It is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
With a total investment of around 250 million euros, the PGDL—first announced in 2006, but only moved forward in 2015 with Fernando Medina in the city’s presidency—is considered an important project to address floods in the capital. However, major interventions, including tunnel construction, only started in 2023 under the presidency of Carlos Moedas.
The project has planned an investment of 79 million euros for 2025.
