New southern access road opens

The southern access road to the Malaga airport was recently opened in its entirety. Roughly 25.000 vehicles will transfer through this major road daily. The north road project is still on hold, with negotiations pending between administrations. Minister of Public Works, Ana Pastor pulled double duty yesterday, being present for the opening ceremony in Malaga and also in Granada, where a section of the A-7 motorway was also inaugurated.

This southern access road required an investment of 61 million euros and stretches 2 KM in length and it will improve traffic conditions from the MA-20 highway by a double divided highway. Almost 10 million euros of the total invested were used to pay for the expropriated land.

The access road to Malaga airport starts with a three-level link with the MA-20 highway. From there, a stretch of divided urban road two km long was constructed south of the Guadalmar Avenue, through San Julian and Santa Rosa industrial areas. The road has two very different areas. On one hand, it stretches from the link to MA-20 to past the junction to MA-21. On the other, the last 600 meters run parallel to the Malaga-Fuengirola train railway, down an embankment until it reaches the last turnabout that links it with the airport roads that allow access to the terminals.

The road has barriers to control noise pollution to prevent becoming a nuisance to the neighbours of the nearby Gualdamar subdivision. The road will not cause much of a visual annoyance either, as all that will be visible will be the roads blue railings, because of the road runs on high structures. Out of the 2 KM, 1.4 runs at the same height as the roofs of the nearby industrial areas buildings.

Just as the southern access road had been long awaited, so is the northern one. When the Minister was asked about the northern access road, she explained that it is the next challenge for her administration in the province. “The project is complete and the works will start”, she said. She asked the Junta representative present, delegate of the Andalusian government in Malaga, for the Junta to donate the land for one of the roads sections so that the infrastructure that will be built by the Spanish government will become much shorter.

This way, she pointed out that if they are able to use part of the land that was going to be used by the Junta, the construction will be completed sooner, faster and at a lower cost. They are looking for a way to reach an agreement with the Andalusian government to build a section that as she puts it “it is of highest importance for Malaga as well”. When she was asked about narrowing the date for the start of the construction, the Minister referred to the need to reach an agreement with the Junta.

Malaga Airport Taxi drivers are also content with this new opening of the southern access road as it will mean that passenger transfers can be made in a quicker way.