Madeira Plans an 8.4 Million Euro Fire Road Through the Hills Above Funchal, With a Hydrant Every 120 Metres, From Early 2027

Madeira's regional government will start building a 1.8-kilometre road through the hills above Funchal early next year, designed to double as a firebreak and to get fire engines and ambulances quickly into an area that storms and wildfires hit often. The works, between the Caminho da Barreira and Curral Velho in the upper part of Santo António parish, will cost about 8.4 million euros.

The project will "directly benefit about a thousand families" and "strengthen the prevention and fighting of fires", the Regional Secretariat for Equipment and Infrastructure said in a statement on Saturday, reported by Lusa.

What will be built

The new road is meant to make it easier to move around the upper slopes of Santo António and to give civil protection crews better access, "in particular in rescue operations and in fighting forest fires". Because it carries its own firefighting infrastructure, the regional government describes it as a via corta-fogo, a fire road.

• A fire main running along the route.
• A water reservoir holding 1,250 cubic metres.
• Fire hydrants about every 120 metres along the road.

Four bids, and work from early 2027

The tender was launched in July. Four bids came in, ranging from 8.2 million to 8.8 million euros: from José Avelino Pinto Construção e Engenharia together with RIM Engenharia e Construções; Tecnovia Madeira; Socicorreia Engenharia; and AFAVIAS Engenharia e Construções. The regional government says the works will be ready to start on the ground at the beginning of 2027. It has not said which bid it will accept or how long construction will take.

Why the upper slopes

The high ground of Santo António is where Funchal's houses meet the forest, and the regional government says the area is often affected by storms and fires. It frames the project as part of an "integrated approach" to the natural risks the island faces, naming wildfires, landslides and the flash floods known in Madeira as aluviões, and noting that the island's natural and climatic features favour them.

The road is the latest of several fire measures on the island this year. In September, a second firefighting helicopter went on duty for two months, hired by the Air Force without a tender.

What it means for residents

For the families in the upper parish, the regional government has not yet published a construction schedule or any planned road closures. Longer term, the promise is a faster and more effective response from the emergency services, and a dedicated water supply for firefighters along the route.

Funchal residents have other changes ahead in 2027: the council has proposed doubling its tourist tax to 4 euros a night from January.