The President of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, today attended the inauguration of the last two sections of the Almanzora Dual Carriageway, works that will make it possible to connect this region with the A-7 Mediterranean Dual Carriageway, which will not only allow vehicles to circulate, but will also open the way to progress, improved living conditions, more economic options and more business projects.
A dual carriageway with which the Andalusian Government fulfils its commitment and which is also key to the development of the economy and productive sectors and represents a historic milestone in Almería’s network of connections. “Every time we keep our word, we keep our word to the citizens and that is to give credibility to the institutions. Keeping our word, adopting agreements, being efficient in management and focusing on what really matters to citizens is the best service we can do for the credibility of politics and politicians,” he added.
In this way, he explained that this is a high-capacity road that provides the backbone of the territory and economically strengthens the region and has been completed with another seven kilometres built in less than five years, a record time considering the challenges that have been ahead.
“This was the commitment of the Junta after years of delays and non-compliance and despite the confinement, the deficit of supplies or the increase in prices since 2020”. Thus, he highlighted that today these seven kilometres are put into operation after an investment of 51 million euros and the completion of the last section that connects La Concepción with the A-7 Dual Carriageway and which allows the opening to traffic of the other segment completed in 2021 between El Cucador and La Concepción and which could not be used until now.
The Andalusian president stressed that these are major works that have included overcoming real technical and geographical challenges such as the crossing of the Almanzora River with a 300-metre viaduct. “These are two highly complex sections that have been carried out ahead of schedule, so I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the technical staff and workers, the companies that have successfully carried out the work, the expropriated landowners who have collaborated and the municipalities affected. At this point, he assured that when there is will and decision, it is possible to undertake the works seriously within the stipulated times and under the stipulated conditions and reiterated that everyone has worked intensely here to facilitate communications during the works and, above all, to avoid repeating past mistakes that caused delays of up to fifteen years and constant interruptions and, in the last case, the payment of compensation and expenses that have cost the coffers of the Junta more than 17 million euros.
“With this work we expressed a firm commitment at the time to unblock it. A debt that we are settling with municipalities such as Zurgena, Huércal-Overa, Fines, Albox, Cantoría and the entire Almanzora region,” he added. In this way, he asserted that this dual carriageway opens to traffic for the benefit of thousands of people from Almeria and their productive sectors and for renowned companies that are at the forefront of the marble and agro-industry sector in Spain. Moreno has insisted on the Andalusian Government’s commitment to the modernisation of Almeria’s infrastructures and to the roads on which the future and the projection of a leading economy in many aspects depends, and which also allow the population to settle in the area, which is now better connected and closer to any other place and service.
“We have taken seriously the updating of the projects and the undertaking of many other works that have been demanding and we will continue working on the expansion of the connections of the Almanzora Valley, but also other actions outside this framework as the decision of the Junta to involve us directly in the burial of the AVE to Almeria, increasing our contribution from 18 million planned in 2010 to more than 48 million”.
In this regard, he recalled that on 19 July a new agreement was signed which will make it possible to finance the construction of the bus station with ERDF funds, which will now be owned by the Junta, and the railway station, owned by ADIF. He also referred to other important projects such as the completion of the drafting of the project for the northern access to Almería, from the Viator junction on the Mediterranean motorway, the investments in the various housing programmes in several municipalities to the value of 25 million euros, the rehabilitation of the Casas Consistoriales of Almería, which will settle a 20-year historical debt, and the key hydraulic infrastructures that are being carried out.
The Andalusian President pointed out that Almeria is a province that provides wealth and diversity, and that it needs the necessary infrastructures to connect it to the major communication routes because, as he said, “this province needs access to provide an outlet for the large production of its thriving economic sectors”. In this sense, he stressed that it is necessary the support of the Government of Spain with key works such as the integration of the AVE to Almería and the Mediterranean Corridor, or also the rail connection to the port of the capital, the improvement of the rail connection Almería-Granada-Bobadilla, the increase of trains linking with Seville, the promotion of commuter trains, the streamlining of the link between A-7 and A-92 to advance the northern access to Almería or more water works for the driest province of Spain. The President of the Junta was accompanied by the Regional Minister for Development, Territorial Planning and Housing, Rocío Díaz; the delegate of the Government of the Junta in Almería, Aránzazu Martín; and the President of the Provincial Council, Javier Aureliano García.
