The Generalitat (Catalan Government) has just signed a contract for the design of a project to widen the CV-95 between Los Balcones and Mar Azul, near Torrevieja University Hospital. The deal is projected to be completed within 12 months, which means that thousands of cars will continue to face daily traffic jams, particularly during the summer, throughout 2026, and, based on the conditions of the contract, most certainly well beyond the summer of 2027.
The contract award report cited the road’s “near-congestion” during the summer, as well as the fact that it is now the principal route for emergency vehicles reaching the hospital. It handles an average of 18,000 automobiles per day.
Due to the high traffic congestion and traffic bottlenecks, ambulances must use the central reservation in the event of an emergency. Because this route is located in a densely populated area with few public transportation options, the narrow shoulder is frequently used as a pedestrian walkway connecting the town centre to Los Balcones and the hospital.
Inside or outside the concessions?
The contract for the works will be awarded later, subject to funding, and it is unclear whether it will be included in the concession that the Generalitat intends to put out to tender for the widening of the 30 kilometres of road between Torrevieja and Orihuela, or only for the 800 metres proposed in this project. The Consell (Regional Council) awarded this concession to a corporation after the €25 million allocated for the entire route connecting the two cities was removed from the 2025 budget. Of this amount, €5 million was set out completely for expanding the Hospital portion.
Minister Vicente MartÃnez Mus did not specify whether the Torrevieja stretch would be included in the overall road project or carried out separately and in advance, contradicting his reaction to the media on April 23rd. Meanwhile, Torrevieja’s mayor, Eduardo Dolón, told him that it would be completed earlier and independently.
This is something the Ministry of Infrastructure has not made clear in its proposal to change its strategy and have private partnership be liable for the road’s construction through a pay-as-you-go arrangement.
Announcement
Carlos Mazón, President of the Generalitat (Catalan Government), announced the tender for the project’s draughting a year ago, in June 2024, when visiting Torrevieja to discuss the regional government’s Vive Plan for protected housing. He proclaimed it again in December, when he visited the construction site for the new leisure centre at the port and thought the contract had been signed.
It took the regional government a full year to award a technical services contract (not a building contract) for less than €200,000. UTE CV-95 Torrevieja, founded by Icosa IngenierÃa Civil and Urbanistas Ingenieros, won the contest with a 21% discount and a total of €132,000, including VAT, out of five submitted proposals.
According to the Valencian government’s specifications, the route should only go from the roundabout at the health centre to the intersection with the N-332 bypass. According to INFORMACIÓN, the road between the La Veleta roundabout and Desiderio RodrÃguez Avenue is approximately 200 meters longer than the 870 linear meters reported above.
He stays outside
They will be removing the final section between the N-332 intersection and the “de los Piratas del Caribe” roundabout in Mar Azul. It is part of the project to double the N-332 bypass, which must be completed by the Spanish Ministry of Transport and is now being put out to tender after passing the environmental evaluation. A roundabout must be constructed at that location to ensure safe access to the ring road. The current segment necessitates a risky left turn from the central reservation for vehicles heading towards Torrevieja.
Pressure
According to sources, the ministry led by Óscar Puente must expedite the duplication of the bypass, which has been stalled for over a decade, to avoid a bottleneck with a 200-metre stretch with only one lane in each direction of travel on a four-lane road.
Furthermore, the project report indicates that the duplicated stretch of CV-95 will incorporate pedestrian and bicycle access. This coincides with a similar municipal proposal to connect the Cemetery and the Hospital by abutting the desalination facility. This applies specifically to the segment that runs parallel to the CV-95, for which a proposal has been developed and funded.
The widening of this segment of road will not be completed until 2027. The project’s draughting deadline is 12 months from the date it is awarded, and it should be completed by the end of the year. The full year of 2025 will be dedicated to development, and if all deadlines are satisfied, work might begin in 2026. The Generalitat’s budget only allocates five million euros to this goal over a multi-year period.
Goals
According to the tender justification, the widening aims to improve road safety along this stretch of just over 800 metres by constructing a central median strip separating the dual carriageways, increasing capacity, and creating a road capable of handling any traffic increases that may occur over the next few years, under acceptable operating conditions.
Furthermore, improvements to pedestrian and bicycle accessibility are planned, which will overlap with other similar initiatives by Torrevieja City Council, as will acoustic quality in the region surrounding Torrevieja University Hospital. According to the contract award proposal, the Botà nic Government completed a construction project to widen the roadway in 2015 and another to deploy noise control measures on the same segment in 2017. Both, the Generalitat agrees, might serve as the foundation for the project being handled presently.
The overcrowding does irritate
The traffic congestion is especially annoying for many residents of Los Balcones, a residential region where many Torrevieja locals have second homes to avoid the tourist crowds in downtown Torrevieja. All homeowners have traffic and mobility concerns because they must utilise the road to get to the town centre.
Other Articles
More than half of Cartagena’s tourists are foreigners
No Comment! Be the first one.