Malaga province's ambitious 180km coastal path plan advances along eastern Costa del Sol

Malaga province's coastal path, which once finished will connect the 180 kilometres of the Costa del Sol for walkers, is advancing in the Axarquía with a 165-metre-long bridge over the River Torrox.

The town hall has put out to tender the project to build the footbridge in the area of the river mouth, between the lighthouse and El Peñoncillo beach, at a cost of 2.1 million euros.

Malaga's provincial authority, the Diputación de Málaga, is the driving force behind the project which is now in its tenth year, with 90 per cent of the work completed. However, the eastern coastline, due to its complex terrain, combined with delays and complex bureaucratic procedures, is one of the areas where progress has been most difficult, especially in the case of Vélez-Málaga, which has 22 kilometres of coastline.

In Torrox, the provincial authority will invest 2.1 million euros to advance the project with the 165-metre-long footbridge. It will be the longest of its kind in the Axarquía and the second longest in the province, after the one installed in 2020 at the mouth of the Guadalhorce River in Malaga city. After announcing the plans in early 2023 when the investment was estimated at 820,000 euros, the Torrox project was put out to public tender on Wednesday 23 July.

The project has been divided into two lots, with a total budget of just over 2,1 million euros. The deadline for interested companies to submit their bids is 26 August and the initial planned completion time is eight months.

The walkway will provide continuity to the four kilometres of coastal path that Torrox already has in its western area and will connect with the section that is pending completion, from the Punta del Faro residential area to the first beach bar located on El Peñoncillo beach. Mayor of Torrox, Óscar Medina, said, "The aim is to be able to walk to Nerja in a unique environment."

Since 2017, the Diputación de Málaga has invested 1.3 million euros in various projects on the coastal path in Torrox, including a 30-metre footbridge over the River Güi and another 45-metre footbridge over the Manzano dry riverbed, as well as improvements to the promenades in El Morche and Los Llanos. In addition, actions to be carried out on other sections up to the border with Nerja, totalling some four kilometres, are currently being looked at.