Work starts on final phase of new tourist attraction at foot of Ronda gorge

Vanessa Melgar

Ronda

Monday, 28 October 2024, 17:08

Ronda town hall initiated the start of work on the second phase of the new walkway at the foot of the Ronda gorge on Friday 25 October.

People can currently go down to the base of the Puente Nuevo (new bridge), from where it will continue, once this latest work is finished, along the bottom of the famous gorge thanks to a suspended wooden walkway designed by the architect of Malaga province's famous Caminito del Rey, Luis Machuca.

The path starts in the Plaza María Auxiliadora, in the historic centre of Ronda, and stretches on for around 200 metres from the well-known Casa Manolillo to the base of the bridge. From there, it will be possible to walk along the foot of the gorge and the endng point will be at the old Hermitage of San Miguel, located next to the Arab baths in Ronda.

The second part of the Desfiladero del Tajo will be 500 metres long. A total of 1.1 million euros has been allocated for it, of which the Diputación de Málaga provincial authority is providing 50%.

A ceremony to kick off the work on Friday was attended by the Diputación president Francisco Salado; as well as Machuca; Ronda mayor María de la Paz Fernández; provincial deputy for economy and Ronda councillor María del Carmen Martínez; councillor for tourism Ángel Martínez; councillor for town planning Jesús Vázquez; and, among others, Partido Popular Andalusian member of parliament Daniel Castilla, as well as Jaime Rodríguez, general manager of Sando Construcciones, the company responsible for carrying out the work.

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The mayor pointed out the work will take between six and eight months to complete and that special machinery will be used to install the footbridge, some three metres above the level of the Guadalevín riverbed, to protect it from possible flooding. The councillor said the project "will not have any impact on the environment" and that the suspended walkway, made of wood, will be 1.2 metres wide.

Salado compared the project to the refurbished Caminito del Rey in Malaga provnce. "People will come to Ronda to enjoy this walkway, to enjoy different views," he said. The first stage of the walk, recently opened, has already welcomed more than 75,000 visitors.