A new overpass replacing an old metal bridge will connect Avenida 1.º de Maio, the passenger platform area at the CP station, and Rua 15 de Agosto, featuring three elevators, according to Vítor Marques, the independent mayor of Caldas da Rainha.
The project, awarded for 976,182.72 euros (plus VAT), was initially scheduled for completion in March 2024. However, the need to coordinate with the Western Line’s modernization has delayed its completion, as explained by the mayor, who will inaugurate the new pedestrian crossing on Saturday.
Facing the station building on Avenida 1.º de Maio and a school on Rua 15 de Agosto, the overpass features a linear design with stairs and elevator shafts at the ends and access to the passenger platform, as detailed by the municipality in the district of Leiria.
Additionally, the structure includes a trussed metal walkway supported by three reinforced concrete elevator shafts, with a 1.80-meter high glass guardrail to ensure protection from the overhead line, as stated in the description.
The elevator shafts support the walkway and allow for panoramic elevator cabins, with stairs situated between the buildings.
The dismantling of the old bridge began today and is expected to continue until July 11, according to the municipality.
Alongside the new railway overpass, the municipality will also inaugurate, on the same Saturday, the refurbished Station Street, widened to include a strip of land adjacent to the railway.
The goal of the renovation was to enable two-way automobile traffic and increase parking availability, stated Joaquim Beato, the vice-president of the municipality, when the project was awarded in September 2024.
The renovation, costing 717,451.12 euros (plus VAT), involved moving the wall between the railway station and the underpass back by approximately nine meters, according to the official.
Besides transforming the one-way street into a two-way route, the project increased the current 36 parking spaces to 71, with four spots for disabled drivers and three for loading and unloading.
The intervention also introduced a shared bicycle lane along with the road and landscaped the street with tree pits.
As detailed in the project plan, the work included replacing the water supply network, improving rainwater and domestic wastewater drainage systems, renovating electrical infrastructure, and constructing a telecommunications infrastructure network.
