The Andalusian Government has awarded the first phase of the Northern Ring Road of Córdoba for over 30 million euros. The joint venture formed by the companies AZVI and ACSA has been awarded the contract for 29.6 million (29,595,479), while the supervisory direction has been entrusted to the Center for Materials Studies and Work Control for 814,697 euros. The estimated execution period is 36 months.
The Minister of Development, Territorial Articulation, and Housing, Rocío Díaz, highlighted the effort to «resume a project that has been a victim of unfulfilled promises since 2007.» «The Government of Juanma Moreno rescued a forgotten project, renewed it taking into account all the contributions of the City Council and the residents, and is ready to start it in 2025,» said the minister, who hopes that, if the forecasts are met, work can start this October.
The new road will run north of Avenida de la Arruzafilla, in the section between the roundabouts of Académica García Moreno and Santa Beatriz. The first phase of the Northern Ring Road of Córdoba will have a length of 722 meters, in addition to 900 more meters of remodeling of the West or Poniente roundabout. This project includes, first and foremost, widening the roadway to four lanes in the Avenida de la Arruzafilla section, improving traffic flow. In addition, long-distance traffic will be separated from that of the residents in the area, who will have parallel service roads to the Northern Ring Road.
It has also been considered that the main traffic on the Northern Ring Road should be far from the buildings to minimize disturbances. Long-distance traffic (the main trunk of the Northern Ring Road) will be separated by 21 meters from the houses, compared to the current three and a half meters. This distance will be made possible by the future service road and a pedestrian area that will be implemented.
The Northern Ring Road project includes complementary works such as the remodeling of intersections. The María de Maeztu roundabout will be modified to create a two-level junction, which will streamline traffic flow, currently experiencing some congestion during peak hours. To achieve this, the elevation of the West roundabout (A-3050) will pass under the roundabout. A circular roundabout has been designed to have the maximum possible space for the connection of both roads. It has also been designed to facilitate vehicle mobility and improve travel in the area for both pedestrians and cyclists.
Finally, the intersection of Avenida del Brillante with Avenida de Arruzafilla and Calle Escultor Fernández Márquez will be remodeled. This renovation will involve, without changing the design of the current intersection, improving the pavement and new signage. In other words, the elliptical split roundabout configuration will be maintained. In this way, Avenida del Brillante will have two lanes in each direction, with the outer lanes for segregated turning movements to Calle Escultor Fernández Márquez and Avenida de la Arruzafilla.
The design of the Northern Ring Road of Córdoba has taken into account neighborhood contributions, which have been incorporated into the project for one million euros. Most of these actions are aimed at humanizing the new road, with traffic calming measures. Among the measures, the number of pedestrian crossings will be increased, a vegetative barrier will be erected with trees separating the service road from the roadway duplication. Also, the planned concrete median separating both lanes will be replaced by a more urban element, similar to that found on other city roads.
