Traffic disruptions in Ronda as work makes progress on Tajo gorge walk tourist attraction

Ronda's iconic Puente Nuevo ('new bridge') was closed to traffic on Thursday due to work on the second phase of the Camino del Desfiladero del Tajo footbridge. The company in charge of the works - Sando - has started to lower the materials necessary for the work and traffic cuts have been necessary to guarantee safety.

This second phase involves the construction of a pedestrian walkway along the bottom of the Tajo - a section that will complement the tourist route initiated with the first phase of the project, already open to the public. The work is promoted by Ronda town hall and financed jointly with the Malaga provincial authority - Diputación. The two bodies share 50% of the total cost, which amounts to almost 1.1 million euros.

Behind the design stands architect Luis Machuca, known for his work on the Caminito del Rey. The structure is a 1.2-wide wooden footbridge that will run about three metres above the riverbed. The planned length of this new section is approximately 500 metres, which will be added to the existing 200 metres of the path.

The first phase of the Camino del Desfiladero del Tajo was inaugurated in 2024. It involved the recovery and enhancement of an existing path that leads down to the base of the Puente Nuevo - one of the most visited and photographed spots in the town. This intervention marked the beginning of the project, with the aim of offering visitors an orderly and safe access to an area of great landscape and heritage value.

According to data provided by the town hall, the route has been visited by some 160,000 people in the first year of its opening, which demonstrates the considerable tourist interest it generates. With the execution of the second phase, the planned route along the bottom of the Tajo will be completed, allowing visitors to enjoy a new perspective of the gorge and the bridge.

This project has been in the making for years, with efforts from various local councils. The second phase is expected to be ready this autumn and the route should be finished before the end of the year.

The Camino del Desfiladero del Tajo is one of the municipality's most ambitious tourism projects. Once completed, the route will connect different points of interest through a pedestrian itinerary that runs through one of the most iconic landscapes of the Serranía de Ronda.