In the wake of the Central Government’s planned spending cuts just announced in the 2012 budget many on the coast of Granada feared that construction work on the A-7 autovia would get the chop but that no longer appears to be the case…..
The Central Government has earmarked 324m euros for the province of Granada, which is 5.4% less than the last budget under the PSOE, but on a positive note, 92.5m euros is to go on outstanding compulsory purchase orders on private land used within the autovia project, which the PSOE never got round to paying.
Another thing to take into account is that the cut in infrastructure spending on a nationwide level has been 22%, so the 5.4% that Granada took on board was nothing by comparison with other provinces in Spain.
Other projects within the province have, however, taken a hammering. The second ring road for Granada and the high-speed train line.
The city of Granada already has a ring road and we don’t have a train down here on the coast; high-speed or otherwise, so most can live with this ‘deprival.’
Getting back to the A-7, where it passes through Granada, the Polopos-Albuñól, 15-km section, will have 704,000 euros thrown at it, leaving the better part of the ‘bill’ (183m) to be paid in 2014, thanks to the German System; i.e., you get paid when you have finished and not as you go along.
The Lobres-Guadalfeo section receives 2.2m because it is all but finished, whilst the much-awaited Almuñécar-Salobreña section (7.8 km) has 432,000 euros alotted, leaving the most of the bill (107m) for the 2013 budget.
Which brings us to the Carchuna-Castell de Ferro (10.2 km), which has an allotted budget of 342,000, and the rest put off until 2014.
The most controversial section, the one that sat idle for two years after hitting unexpected rock strata; Gorgoracha-Puntalón, bypassing Motril, has 24.8m euros allotted from the 147.2m needed. Bear in mind that this project also includes the road down to the port from the crossroads (6.2 km). This last section should also be concluded by 2014.
So, whilst the previous administration put off and put off the termination date, giving the last estimation as 2013, the new administration estimates the conclusion of all work on the A-7 within the province for 2014; one year later.
Meanwhile, in the north of the province, autovia projects have been massacred; i.e. Pinos Puente-Atarfe, (G-43) Santa Fe-Las Gabias and Calicasas-Albolote.
The high-speed train hasn’t reached Granada and won’t for a while, having lost 44% of its budget, but Motril port will get 2.2m to ‘drag’ alongside the quays and build a new one.
