Malaga allocates first €15m for road repairs after catastrophic storms
Provincial authorities warn of further landslides as eight roads remain closed following the destruction caused by Storms Leonardo and Marta
Storms Leonardo and Marta seriously hit the province of Malaga last week, leaving big parts of the road network in need of repairs. The provincial authority has earmarked 15 million euros just for the initial repairs of the roads under its jurisdiction. This sum might increase as technicians assess the damages over the next few days.
At the moment, some 30 provincial roads have suffered damage during the storms. While the department of road work assesses the state of the road network, maintenance services are removing fallen trees and landslides.
After visiting some of the most affected municipalities of the Serranía de Ronda on Friday, head of the provincial authority Francisco Salado ordered that 15 million euros of the budget go directly for repairs. "Never before have our roads been subjected to such a catastrophic storm," Salado said, adding that, in order to tackle damages of such magnitudes, they would need state and external support.
Salado: "Never before have our roads been subjected to such a catastrophic storm"
According to Salado, there could be more incidents and landslides in the coming days, as the soil is already soaked and prone to slippage. Both Salado and president of the regional government Juanma Moreno have urged the central government to mobilise state and EU aids to facilitate the repair work in Andalucía.
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According to Salado, this task "is going to require a huge effort, beyond the possibilities of a single institution such as the provincial authority". He said that "farmers, residents and town halls" will also need financial resources to recover, which the provincial authority alone cannot provide.
Salado concluded with the hope that everybody will collaborate in this process, "without the usual delays" in aid granting.
Eight lanes closed
At the moment there are eight roads in the provincial network closed to traffic. Another two roads are closed to heavy vehicles.
Six of these roads are in the Serranía de Ronda: the MA-8401, from Benaoján to Cortes de la Frontera; the MA-8406, from MA-7402 to Venta de la Leche; MA-8302, from MA-8301 to Genalguacil; the MA-7402, from A-374 to Acinipo; MA-7300, from Igualeja to Pujerra; and MA-8306, from MA-7402 to Venta de la Leche (the latter two are closed to heavy traffic only).
Closed in the Axarquía district are the MA-3112, from MA-3109 to MA-3116, and the MA-3102, from A-356 to Colmenar. In the Guadalhorce Valley, cut are the MA-6402, from Cañete la Real via La Atalaya to the provincial border, while in the Antequera district closed is the MA-6406, from A-7278 to Almargen.
