Malaga's solution to traffic jams near Intelhorce industrial area costs 33 million euros, without set completion date

The traffic jams are set to worsen in the coming years, as homes are handed over in the new housing developments of Cortijo Merino (Amoniaco) and Distrito Zeta, while neither the regional government, which owns the road, nor the city council has yet set a date for the urgently needed widening of this main road.

The regional government has so far chosen to wash its hands of the matter and pass the buck to the city council, which in recent months has updated the road-widening project to review technical aspects and costs.

According to information the council executive has provided in response to the Con Málaga municipal group, the budget for the works currently stands at around 33 million euros, which significantly exceeds the 17.8 million euros estimated in the currently processed infrastructure plan.

The project to widen this road would involve expanding it to 70 metres so that it can accommodate a central carriageway with two lanes in each direction, separated by a four-metre-wide landscaped median. It would also feature two service roads, each with two lanes, outer pavements and on-street parking. Furthermore, the plan includes the possibility of reserving a lane for buses and high-occupancy vehicles, as well as a cycle lane.

For the time being, however, there is no clear timeline for the completion of this long-awaited project, nor a clear agreement between the regional government and the city council. Deputy spokesperson for Con Málaga Toni Morillas has criticised the decade-long delay and the lack of a budet. For her, this project is "strategic" for the city's transport network.

Plans to widen the road were drawn up back in June 2016, yet ten years on, the project remains at a standstill. Morillas has denounced the "political hypocrisy" of the PP ruling team for demanding investment in roads from the central government while "blocking infrastructure projects that fall directly within the remit of the Andalusian regional government".

Morillas also accuses of covering the cost of widening a regional road without demanding any timetables or commitments.

The official response from the municipal government team states that the municipal urban planning department decided to take the lead on the project "within the framework of institutional collaboration and taking into account the urgent need for transport in Malaga".

In order to bring the design into line with the public sector contracts act, current market prices and developments in the surrounding areas, the city council commissioned Narval Ingeniería to review the project.

The consultancy firm submitted the revised proposal to the city council this past August. Although the draft has now been finalised, the response to Con Málaga makes it clear that the council's technical staff are still reviewing the proposal.

Consequently, the estimated cost of 33 million euros (including IVA) remains subject to any final amendments, meaning the project currently has neither a guaranteed budget nor a start date for works.

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