Green light for new northern access to Malaga Airport works

Today's BOE official state gazette in Spain has published a favourable update on the question of the northern access to Malaga Airport. The project, which has been in the pipeline for years, has received the seal of approval by the environmental department. It concerns 1.7 kilometres of road work from the outer ring road roundabout, which connects with Alhaurín de la Torre.

The environmental impact assessment took more than a year, but it has finally concluded that the project will have "no significant adverse effects on the environment", as long as it complies with the established measures and prescriptions.

The project is actually very simple, as it consists of the construction of a branch from the second roundabout to a road with separate carriageways already built within the airport site, in the northern area. This will have two carriageways of two lanes each, with a speed limit of 80km/h. Of the total length of 1.7 kilometres, some 250 metres will be a viaduct (bridge), which will cross the future metropolitan distributor road and the Bienquerido stream.

The Bienquerido stream is already channelled from the boundary between Malaga and Alhaurín de la Torre to its mouth, so the works now approved should continue this channelling from the beginning of the branch connecting the A-7 with the airport to the municipal boundary between Malaga and Alhaurín de la Torre, along 400 metres.

In addition, it will be necessary to remodel the roundabout on the dual carriageway that provides access to the municipality, so that it becomes a 270-metre-long elliptical roundabout in the direction of the A-7 dual carriageway. The roundabout will have three 4-metre lanes. There are also plans for a direct connection from the A-7 to the access branch to the airport, planned as an overpass to bridge the junction over the future metropolitan west distributor road, with one lane. Finally, it is planned to double the branch connecting the A-7 with the A-7052 and A-404 regional roads, as well as the third lane of the roundabout at the Churriana junction.

To reduce the effect of traffic noise on nearby residential areas, the developer has proposed the construction of an acoustic screen, 300 metres in length and 3 metres in height, which will reduce noise by around 2-3 decibels. On the other hand, the modification of the channelling of the Bienquerido stream will directly affect 5,244 square metres of citrus groves. A total of 130 palm trees near the current channelling will also be affected. The Ministry of Transport has proposed that all of them are transplanted in nearby areas.

On the other hand, in order to minimise the risk of wildlife being hit by vehicles, the project includes the installation of a perimeter fence, which will feature escape devices for large and medium-sized terrestrial vertebrates that may become trapped along the route. In addition, the project calls for the construction of a 250-metre viaduct over the channelling of the Bienquerido stream, which is considered "a wildlife-permeable crossing."

According to the Ministry of Transport, this crossing is an important step that will allow the works to move forward. "This is yet another example of this government’s commitment to Malaga - a commitment shown through actions, not words; we solve people’s problems while others create them." There is still no projected timeline for the tendering of the works, although the bureaucratic process has now been cleared.

The northern access will require an investment of 42.2 million euros, according to data provided by the central government's deputy representative, Javier Salas, who said that the project drawn up under former-prime minister Mariano Rajoy’s government had to be discarded,because it did not account for the integration with the distributor road or Malaga's urban development plan (PGOU). "That’s why this government had to negotiate and formalise a document coordinating the actions of the various administrations."

"This government is working rigorously and responsibly to move forward with the projects Malaga needs and, unfortunately, we also have to fix the lack of seriousness shown by the previous government, which presented a failed project that could have already become a reality had it considered the city’s urban planning," said Salas.

He also said that timelines are already being reduced, thanks to the decision to go with a simplified environmental assessment procedure instead of the ordinary one, which would have taken more time.