Guadalhorce valley mayors and businesses applaud extension of A-357 motorway but demand it be speeded up

Mayors and business owners in the Guadalhorce valley area of Malaga province have applauded the action to extend the motorway further along the A-357 but are calling on the Junta to speed up the work.

Pedro Fernández Miguel from Carratraca, has been fighting for action for decades and created Proautovía del Guadalhorce (For the Guadalhorce motorway) in 1987, brining together concerned residents of 27 municipalities.

"The creation of the motorway is a dream we had in Carratraca, and even then we saw it as a new access to Seville from Malaga," he said. The A-357 will open up the coast to tourism in search of nature by bringing destinations such as Ronda, Osuna, Carmona, Ecija and the Sierra de Cádiz closer together, he added. "It will be one of the best investments to revitalise the inland." However, he criticised the long process: "It is unacceptable that a simple environmental study for three kilometres should take a year".

Félix Lozano, mayor of Pizarra, applauded the move to extend the motorway. "We know that the work was once awarded and that it was decided not to execute it... It is valuable time that was lost," he said. However, he said the current Andalusian government has been receptive to his demands.

The councillor said the motorway extension work is a priority due to the road's high accident rate. "I want to thank the Junta's president (Juanma Moreno) for listening to repeated requests, which are finally bearing fruit; we know that the process is still long but the first stone has already been laid and from there we will have the study and the work," Lozano said.

As well as safety, it will also have economic benefits. "In Pizarra we have already exceeded 10,000 inhabitants and this is partly thanks to the planning of this dual carriageway, which with the dual carriageway will reach Pizarra and this will allow many more families to come to this town, which is only 30 minutes from Malaga city by car and with train connections," Lozano said. He also cited the examples of Alhaurín de la Torre and Cártama, where a dual carriageway has led to high growth in those areas. "We are working on the available land to have it qualified so that developers can come to Pizarra and start building new homes."

Francisco Padilla, president of the Guadalhorce valley business association (Fedelhorce) said: "It increases mobility with Malaga, the fact that the motorway will be extended is fundamental, both for safety and economically". It will be a way of attracting more workers, tourists and potential buyers, he added. "In the end, people don't know about the Guadalhorce valley and seeing that this development is so close will help all of us business owners," he said.

Pizarra will be the main beneficiary municipality, including towns such as Casarabonela and Alozaina, Padilla added. "With the influx of workers who are going to come to live in Malaga with the boom in the city, we are aware that there will be more people and companies that are going to set up here, as well as new homes and potential consumers, so this step will give us a boost," he said.