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A plan to improve the main road along the Costa del Sol is on the cards as the ministry of transport looks to reduce the heavy traffic and subsequent tailbacks along the route.
Companies can now apply to undertake a preliminary feasibility study which will determine the best way to improve the flow of the A-7 motorway between Torremolinos in Malaga province and Torreguadiaro (Cadiz). The commission, worth one million euros, will look at options such as increasing the capacity of the A-7 motorway, as well as creating new connections with the AP-7 toll road and improving existing ones.
The study will focus on the area between kilometres 1,000 (Torremolinos) and 1,090 (Torreguadiaro, Cadiz) of the A-7. As conditioning factors, the ministry's technicians pointed out from the outset that a large part of the route of the current road comes from the widening of the old N-340, which has led to numerous accesses from the clusters of housing estates scattered along the Costa del Sol, "an area of strong urban development pressure".
In addition, the A-7 carries a high daily traffic load. The stretch between Fuengirola and San Pedro Alcántara exceeded 65,000 vehicles on average per day in 2019, even reaching 93,945 at a point near San Pedro. "The level of service on the A-7 does not correspond to reality," the technicians said.
To determine a solution, a study will be be drawn up to examine the area, taking into account all the possibilities for action, with possible solutions to increase the capacity of the A-7 motorway including the possible reorganising of accesses through the construction of collector, side or service roads, and the remodelling of junctions. "The fundamental objective must be to improve road safety and, as far as possible, reduce congestion."
It is also proposed to build bypasses in areas of densely populated areas, as well as new connections between the A-7 and the AP-7, and the improvement of existing ones. However, urban pressure on the margins of the A-7 means actions to increase capacity, create service roads and collector roads to reorganise accesses may, in many sections, be unfeasible "due to the economic and social cost of the measures that would be necessary".
For these reasons, the study must compile the data necessary to determine the current state of the A-7/AP-7 corridor which includes geometry, traffic, non-compliance with current layout regulations, accident rate, among other factors. The study must also determine any protected areas such as wildlife corridors, areas of interest for fauna and flora, cultural heritage and others, as well as provide estimates on construction costs.
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