Work starts on new access road to La Herradura’s Cármenes del Mar urbanisation

WORK started this week on the new access road to the Cármenes del Mar urbanisation in Cerro Gordo, La Herradura.

According to the project drafted by the civil engineer, Francisco Javier Ibáñez, once completed, it will connect Los Altos with the old N-340.

As reported this Wednesday, November 15, by Juan José Ruiz Joya, the mayor of the municipality, the project has a total budget of €650,000 and is expected to be finished before next summer.

The mayor paid a visit to the site, accompanied by Javier García, the Councillor for Urban Planning, and municipal engineer Juan José Fernández Peña,

After their visit, the mayor said that the work was: ‘A commitment of this government team to the residents to look for an alternative access to an urbanisation as important as Cármenes del Mar in the face of the possible collapse of the accesses that exist right now to the upper area of the urbanisation’.

Why was the project delayed?

Ruiz Joya explained that the work had been delayed for a few days because: ‘It was necessary to undertake the transfer of a protected plant, which we have now replanted in another location in this area’.

‘I hope that from now on the pace of construction of this new access road – which will serve as an alternative to all residents of Cármenes del Mar – can continue, and meet all deadlines, so that before the summer we can have a new access, as we committed in our government programme’.

This new access to Cármenes de Mar has had an extensive administrative process following its approval by the Sexitano Town Hall.

‘It is worth remembering that it was necessary to carry out an expropriation that exceeded 27,000 m² of surface area, which will the road and all the services that go with it will occupy, such as pavements and street lighting. The valuation of this expropriation reaches almost €34,000’, Javier Garcia detailed.

The permits and environmental studies involved in the removal and replanting of the protected plants, added almost €12,000 to the costs.

What are the details of the new road?

When completed, the new access to Cármenes del Mar will be almost 200 metres long and nine metres wide. It will consist of two 6-metre lanes, a drainage ditch and a 1.80-metre pavement with a handrail. There will also be lighting to match with the urbanisation as a whole.

This new road will guarantee access to the homes in the upper part of Altos de Cármenes and others. The current General Urban Development Plan of Almuñécar includes an access road at the top of the Cármenes del Mar urbanisation, with a connection to the old N-340.

This road was not considered during the urban development phase of the urbanisation, but its location is suitable for the implementation of the new access.

At present, Calle Encina is the highest road in the Los Altos de Cármenes development and has a north-south orientation, ending in a small roundabout, which acts as a cul-de-sac.

In accordance with the road planning contained in the Almuñécar PGOU, this new road extends the current one, turning north from the small roundabout and running along the hillside until it meets the old N-340.