C.M.W..MaóThe Coastal Authority, a body which is dependent on the Ministry of the Environment, has announced the start of work on 14.8 kilometres of the coastal path between Cala Galdana and Son Bou as well as on the sections of the Camí de Cavalls which are on land which is public property, known as Dominio Público Marítimo-Terrestre.
With a budget of 1,658,866 euros the project will last nine months and will be followed by a second scheme to be carried out on the section between Cala Galdana and Son Xoriguer which will take six months and cost 900,000 euros. The Coastal Authority is involved because the coastal path and the Camí de Cavalls exist alongside each other between Son Bou and Son Xoriguer.
The Island Council is confident that the first phase of the project will be completed in time for the path to be opened to the public at the beginning of 2007 and that the route will provide an added attraction for tourists next summer.
In order to comply with environmental requirements laid out in an agreement made between the Ministry of the Environment and the Island Council and also to improve the coastline and guarantee citizens free and safe access to public property, the work will consist of: the conditioning and delimitation of a single track which will have a minimum width of 1 metre; the use of traditional methods to improve the path´s surface and dry-stone walls; manual clearance of any fallen or damaged trees; provision of protective fencing for private properties; the preservation and regeneration of sand dunes and the closing off of areas which are being eroded; and providing information boards and signposts along the path.
Once work on this section of the path has been completed, the Coastal Authorities will start on the second phase which covers the section of path between Cala Galdana and Son Xoriguer. A sum of 900,000 euros has been set aside for this project which will involve improvements to the path known as "the coastal path".
