The Andalusian Government has received six bids from interested companies (four individually and two formed in a joint venture) for the drafting of the project that will continue the Almanzora Highway towards the province of Granada. The project includes a new 3.8-kilometre section between the municipalities of Olula del Río and Fines. This project is in addition to the 50 million euros that the Andalusian Government has invested in recent years to connect the Almanzora region with the Mediterranean Highway (A-7).
“Less than a year ago we settled a debt with Almería with the opening of seven kilometres of motorway that previous governments were unable to execute in 30 years,” recalled the Minister of Public Works, Land Management and Housing, Rocío Díaz, who also argued that “far from standing still, we wanted to continue and extend the Almanzora Motorway”, to serve not only more municipalities in the Marble region, but also to cover the mobility needs towards the Baza region, already in the province of Granada. “The best guarantee of this Andalusian Government is the investments that have allowed the inauguration of the Almanzora Motorway”, stressed the Minister of Public Works.
The Ministry of Public Works has allocated 347,759 euros to drafting the project for the extension of the motorway on a section between kilometre points 59.7, near Fines, and 56.2, near Olula del Río. At this point it would coincide with the link with the A-349 road, from Tabernas to Olula del Río via Macael. This section will further improve connections with the region where Macael marble is extracted and sold. In addition, it will impact the level of service, road safety and the functionality of the network in this area.
The section of the study is 3,800 metres long and starts at the Fines junction and ends at the current junction of the A-334 with the A-349, to which it will be connected by a new connecting branch. The estimated budget for the works, as stated in the contract documents, amounts to 43.4 million euros.
History of the Almanzora Highway
The Almanzora motorway was conceived in 1986, when its route was included in the General Plan for Roads in Andalusia as a section connecting the Mediterranean motorway with the Seville-Granada motorway, although without specific investments in several sections or a timetable. It was not until 2005 when the first stone of this infrastructure was laid, which was included in successive infrastructure plans with the commitment to its completion.
Far from finishing the works, previous governments included the Almanzora Highway in their adjustment plan to reduce the public deficit in 2010. In March 2012, the contract was signed, through public-private collaboration, to build, maintain and operate the section of the highway between Purchena and the Mediterranean Highway (A-7). Years later, in 2018, they made the political decision to terminate the contract with compensation of 16.6 million.
With the arrival of Juanma Moreno to the Government in 2019, the Almanzora Highway was resumed with the execution of two sections with an investment of more than 50 million euros. The connection of the Almanzora Highway with the Mediterranean Highway took place on September 25, 2023, with the inauguration of seven kilometers of road corresponding to the El Cucador-Concepción and Concepción-A-7 sections. With this action, the connection with the Almanzora region and, specifically, with municipalities such as Zurgena, Huércal-Overa, Fines, Albox and Cantoria was improved. The last step was taken in mid-June, when the drafting of the project for the section between Olula del Río and Fines, in the province of Almería, was put out to tender.