The Ministry of Development, Territorial Articulation, and Housing will reopen the road between Ronda and San Pedro Alcántara (A-397) to traffic on July 14th. The pace of the works, with activities from Monday to Sunday and even at night, has allowed the deadlines to be advanced by a few weeks, making it possible to open one of the traffic lanes to offer alternative traffic starting this Monday, as announced this morning by the President of the Andalusian Government, Juanma Moreno, during the events commemorating the 140th anniversary of the birth of Blas Infante that took place in Casares.
The reopening date comes after advancements were made last week in the reconstruction tasks of the road damaged by the severe landslides caused by torrential rains from the DANA in mid-March. Last week, the deck was completed with concrete and, previously, the beams of the four spans of the structure had been installed, the deck reinforcement had been completed, and the pre-slabs had been placed. In the coming days, the final tasks will be carried out to enable this lane for traffic, such as the lateral defense barrier, the road surface, drainage, and the corresponding signaling.
The Minister of Development, Rocío Díaz, has stated that the Andalusian Government «had committed to shortening the deadlines and so it has been, putting all the means at our disposal to restore traffic on a strategic route for the economic and social activity of the Serranía de Ronda». «No efforts have been spared, with work carried out from Monday to Sunday and even at night,» emphasized the minister, who thanked the residents for their patience during the road closure.
Likewise, she emphasized the complexity of the works, which have had an investment of 4.5 million euros and have involved leading companies in geotechnics and vertical works. She also indicated that the works will continue with one of the lanes already open.
To rebuild the road, it was necessary to first execute measures to guarantee the stability of the slope, removing all unstable rocks with heavy machinery, manual means with specialists in vertical works, and, finally, controlled micro-blasting. Likewise, containment membranes have been installed in the head and intermediate areas of the landslide and a dynamic screen.
Once partially reopened to traffic, the Ministry of Development will continue with the works with the road in service. In this phase, additional measures will be taken to support the slope and reinforce the existing concrete wall.
