The Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing approved an order that determines the urgent carrying out of an independent technical assessment of national road and railway infrastructures, mandating the LNEC to analyze safety and operability after extreme weather phenomena.
The order published in Diário da República on Wednesday, February 11, stipulates that “the National Civil Engineering Laboratory (LNEC) proceeds, “as a priority and urgently, to promote an independent technical assessment of the infrastructures of the national road network and the infrastructures of the national railway network”.
LNEC must also support local authorities and inter-municipal entities in similar assessments and present, within 30 working days, the criteria and work planning, with a maximum horizon of one year for the final report, in addition to monthly progress reports.
The decision comes after “the occurrence of floods, floods and landslides in several vulnerable areas of the national territory, with a tangible impact on national road and railway infrastructure”, which in some cases led to closures or the need for significant repairs.
According to the document, the assessment must be “rigorous, complete, rapid and independent, to assess the structural, safety and operational conditions of the various infrastructures”, covering critical points such as bridges, tunnels, viaducts, hydraulic passages and uneven passages or embankments.
The order also establishes that the Mobility and Transport Institute (IMT) and Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP) must recommend that concessionaires carry out independent technical assessments, sending the reports to LNEC.
The document emphasizes that “no provision of this order or subsequent action by LNEC mitigates or removes the responsibility or obligations of entities managing road or railway infrastructure”.
The order takes effect from February 11, 2026 and is signed by the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz.
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