ARCHIVED - New section of motorway opens, offering two routes between Murcia city and the coast
The new section of the autovía del Reguerón cuts 8km off the journey
A major stretch of one of the largest roadbuilding projects in the region for many years has finally opened, the autovía del Reguerón, which connects the capital city of Murcia to the Mar Menor via Sucina.
The Ministry of Transport estimates that the newly opened link shortens the trip to San Javier by eight kilometers and it is estimated that the new stretch of road will be used by an average of 8,000 vehicles a day.
This section of road now gives an alternative route to the A-30 from the capital to the coast, and should alleviate traffic congestion in the Puerto de la Cadena, which up until now has been a section of the principal road leading to the coast which is frequently congested during principal hours of the day near to the capital.
Travellers now have two choices; departing from the centre of Murcia they can take the Autovía del Reguerón to join with the RM1 and on to the coast via Sucina, or take the A-30 and join with the RM19 via Balsicas, both roads joining with the AP-7 for the final run down into San Javier.
Although the difference between the two roads is just under eight kilometres, there is very little difference between the time required to cover the two alternatives according to the regional Spanish language media, who sent vehicles on both routes in order to compare the two and concluded that the new route would save two minutes on the journey time from the town hall of Murcia down to the town hall of San Javier, taking into account the number of traffic lights en-route and the differences in speed limits on the various sections.
The new section of motorway will also offer an alternative route to Santomera and the south of the capital when the so-called ‘Bancal highway’ is finished, which will connect Zeneta with the A-7 and will complete the route of the RM-1 to San Javier; this section must be completed by the regional government.
This will greatly improve the flow of traffic for those living in the so-called Costera Sur on the outskirts of the capital, all areas in which those working in the city tend to occupy and travel into the city by road: Algezares, Los Garres, Beniaján, Torreagüera, Los Ramos, Alquerías and Zeneta. Using the section of road still awaiting completion will save more than 15 minutes on a journey into the capital.
In the future, there are plans to extend the autovía out to El Palmar, to complete the external ring around the city of Murcia, but this is not likely to occur for several more years due to lack of financing .
As normal, political arguing about the financing of infrastructure soured the opening of the 216 million euro road, with the national Government delegate to the region of Murcia, José Vélez, urging the regional government to finish the section of the “Bancal highway”, which will complete the Zeneta connection, but which must be undertaken by the regional government with the financing provided by the Ministry. "We hope that the regional government, as does the Government of Spain, will also comply with its commitments and responsibilities to citizens and complete the missing sections of this infrastructure, as we have done," Velez said yesterday in a statement.
As is normal, the regional PP deputy Juan Antonio Mata replied that “in reality it is an incomplete road since the section that connects it with the A-30 has not been built (in El Palmar ) so that it functions as a true Murcia bypass to the south “.
The national government dispensed with the normal protocols for a project on this scale and opened the new section of road without so much as a photo opportunity for any politicians -normally there would be a large gaggle of politicians at such an opening- saying instead that it preferred to get the road into service as quickly as possible and doing the job for which it had been built rather than posing for a photo.
The work has cost 216 million euros.