Work begins to improve N340 coastal road through Vélez-Málaga

Vélez-Málaga town hall on the eastern Costa del Sol has begun work on the construction of four new raised pedestrian crossings on the old N-340 coastal toad as it passes through Benajarafe, Valle-Niza and Almayate, just a few weeks after the transfer to the town hall of the 6.6-kilometre stretch between Benajarafe and the mouth of the River Vélez was finalised.

The project, announced on site by the mayor of Vélez-Málaga, Jesús Lupiáñez, marks the first major municipal intervention since the council took ownership of this strategic road on the western coast of Vélez-Málaga a few months ago.

Lupiáñez explained that the work is in response to “significant demand from local residents” and aim to “improve road safety and regulate pedestrian traffic on a road that carries a high volume of both vehicles and pedestrians every day”, particularly in the more densely populated coastal areas.

The new footbridges have been installed in Almayate, Valle-Niza – near the Castillo del Marqués and the Vallemar residential area - and at the entrance to Benajarafe, next to Torre Moya. In Valle-Niza, the town hall also explained that the two planned footbridges will provide direct access to both the hospitality school and the Torrejaral primary school.

In a statement, Lupiáñez said that the project represents “a decisive step” towards adapting the old N-340 “to the real needs of local residents”, emphasising that the transformation of this road will improve safety, accessibility and traffic flow.

The work has been awarded to Pavasur 1 S.L., with a budget of 38,114 euros and is expected to take approximately ten days to complete. The project also includes illuminated vertical signage to enhance the visibility of the new crossings and improve safety for both pedestrians and drivers.

One of the most significant aspects of the project is that, following the installation of these traffic calming measures, the former N-340a will be reclassified as an urban thoroughfare. This will result in the maximum speed limit being reduced to 50 kilometres per hour on various sections of the road, down from the previous 80 kilometres per hour.

The project forms part of the gradual transformation of this former national road, which for decades served as the main transport artery along the eastern Costa del Sol and which today, following the construction of the A-7 motorway, has become virtually integrated into the urban and residential fabric of the Vélez-Málaga coast.

In recent years, residents of Benajarafe, Valle-Niza and Almayate have repeatedly called for traffic calming measures and improvements to pedestrian safety due to the increase in traffic and urban development experienced along this entire stretch of coastline, where the old national road now functions more as an urban avenue than as a conventional road.