The Cartagena-bound lane of the Pilar de la Horadada tunnel, located at kilometre 772 on the AP-7, will be opened by the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility on Thursday, July 3rd. It was closed to traffic on May 9th following a catastrophic accident inside the tunnel that sadly killed a truck driver. The truck toppled and caught fire, inflicting damage to the roadway infrastructure.
According to ministry sources, they have “worked intensively” since the tragic accident, using “all available resources to minimise the time it takes to repair the damage and return this tunnel to Cartagena safely, given that traffic is expected to exceed 20,000 vehicles per day in each direction in July.” The tunnel is 800 metres long.
Supply and communication cables
The work included repairing all power and communication cables, along with the cable trays that support them, as well as installing surveillance cameras, lighting equipment, SOS posts, and a pair of giant inside fans to replace the three that were previously installed.
The damaged road surface and fire hydrant system has also been repaired.
The tunnel sustained no visible structural damage, but the opportunity was seized to investigate the possible loss of strength of the concrete vault owing to exposure to the high temperatures induced by the vehicle fire.
Modernisation is also being carried out
These repairs have coincided with those being carried out by the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility to boost energy efficiency through intelligent lighting management and the tunnel’s safety features. The ministry affirms that they are proceeding despite the accident-induced delay.
The project has a current budget of €3.5 million (VAT included) and is funded by European NextGeneration EU funds as part of the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan (PRTR).
Due to urgent repairs, the schedule for these modernisation works has been changed, pushing the work that was slated for May and June until next fall, when demand is substantially lower.
Total cuts
This repair will also necessitate complete road closures within the tunnel. These closures will take place during off-peak hours to minimise disturbance to road users and will be communicated in due course.
The mayor of Pilar de la Horadada, José MarÃa Pérez of the Popular Party (PP), confirmed the tunnel’s reopening starting the last weekend of June, citing sources from the regional Highway Service. This same weekend, he stated that he would postpone expressing his gratitude for the ministry’s efforts.
The closure of the roadway towards Cartagena is generating traffic bottlenecks on the parallel N-332 and several roads in the town of PÃlar de la Horadada and its beach.
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