Ronda roadworks update: Malaga's provincial authority spends 4.2 million euros on 14 roads
The Diputación is working on key roads most affected by storm damage across the Serranía de Ronda that come under its authority, paying special attention to the access roads to the villages of Benarrabá and Benalauría, which still have restricted access
The road back to normality is an ongoing process for now in the Serranía de Ronda mountain range.
Some six weeks since the last of the storms that caused serious damage in the area, work is still underway to restore normalcy, especially to the road network that connects small towns and villages to Ronda and beyond.
All levels of government are collaborating in this process and, in this case, Malaga's provincial authority (the Diputación) is already working on 14 roads in the area with an initial aid package amounting to 4.2 million euros.
Currently, the main efforts are concentrated on the access roads to two municipalities. The first is the MA-8303, which provides access to Benarrabá, and the second is the MA-8306, the access road to Benalauría. Both are very important and have suffered significant damage.
Nieves Atencia, in charge of development and infrastructure at the Diputación, explained that, in addition to these projects in the Serranía de Ronda, work is underway on approximately 36 roads across the province, amounting to a spend of around six million euros. However, she noted that this figure is still provisional, as there is damage that is still pending assessment and it cannot be accurately quantified until the ground has fully dried out.
On a positive note, most roads affected by the bad weather have now reopened to traffic, although restrictions remain in place in some cases. This is the case with access to Benalauría, where HGVs are still banned. On the downside, there are still some roads that have not yet been able to resume normal traffic, such as the MA-7402 (access to Acinipo), the MA-8405 (Los Villalones) and the MA-8406 (Venta de la Leche, in Ronda).
Roadworks in progress
The ongoing work consists mainly of removing landslides, restoring drainage ditches and rebuilding the road surface. This includes building retainer walls made of large rocks or deep foundations using micropiles in cases where the most severe landslides happened. For instance, the MA-9300 (access to El Colmenar) and the MA-8401 (access to Cortes de la Frontera).
Right now, work is only pending on the access road to Acinipo, which already has authorisation following the contracting of an archaeological monitoring service for the earthworks, as it is located in an area designated as an Asset of Cultural Interest (ruins of a Roman town).
Incidents were also reported during the repair work. On the MA-8303, the access road to Benarrabá, a landslide has caused the road surface to break up in several places, requiring a rebuild with retainer walls.
Meanwhile, on the MA-8306, the access road to Benalauría, a large-scale project is underway following a landslip that partially covered the roadway. The nearby slopes have also been affected, requiring their stabilisation with more retainer walls.
Which roads are affected?
Malaga's provincial authority has also provided a list of all roads affected by these roadworks in the Serranía de Ronda.
These are: MA-7300 (from Igualeja to Pujerra), MA-7302 (from Alpandeire to Faraján), MA-7402 (access to Acinipo), MA-8301 (from Estepona to Jubrique), MA-8302 (access to Genalguacil from MA-8301), MA-8303 (from A-369 Gaucin road to Benarrabá), MA-8306 (from A-369 to Benalauría), MA-8307 (from A-369 to MA-8401), MA-8401 (from Benaoján to Cortes de la Frontera), MA-8405 (from MA-7402 to Cortijo Los Villalones), MA-8406 (from MA-7402 to Venta de la Leche, in Ronda), MA-8407 (from MA-8405 to Montecorto) and MA-9300 (from A-405 to El Colmenar).
Also included in the provincial road network's work in the Serranía de Ronda is the MA-8300 (from the A-7 motorway to Casares), which is also under construction.
