A tale of two roads

Do you remember all the controversy that surrounded the plans to build two new routes; the CV-95 from Orihuela to Torrevieja and the coast and the CV-91 from Oriheula to Guardamar del Segura?

In the case of the CV-95 the issue was that it was going to split the town of San Miguel del Salinas in half. The CV-91, on the other hand was going to cut swathes through the horticultural land of the huerta and run through the small towns en route. Opposition groups were set up, protests were held and alternative routes were suggested for both roads.

Then the financial crisis hit and the companies that were to be awarded the projects no longer showed interest. In the case of the CV-95 the constructor was to receive a so called "peaje en sombra" ( a toll in the shade) which I think means they would be paid according to the number of vehicles that used the road over a period of years following its construction. Latest figures show that there are 4% fewer vehicles using the present CV-95 than before.

The time slot for these projects it be completed is fast running out. If they are not at least started soon, then they will have to go back to the drawing board and new environmental impact studies will have to be undertaken.So there is a last push to see if any progress can be made.

In the case of the CV-95 the suggestion now is that it joins up with the A-7 motorway which should make it more profitable for the constructors because they believe that more vehicles will want to use that route. In the case of the CV-91, they are considering returning to the more acceptable route that was proposed back in 2002 which followed the river.

The mayoress of Orihuela, Monica Lorente and the councillor for infrastructure, Mario Flores both agree that the new roads will improve connections between the city and the coast and say that the demand is there for these roads to be built.

However, this is akin to the so called demand for more houses and the demand for bigger and better commercial centres in the area, the longer you go on, the more these needs seem to diminish especially now that we are in a period of economic austerity. These people should visit England and see some of the overcrowded roads there, that would put the viability of their proposals into proper perspective.

I suspect the perceived need is not for the new roads to accommodate more traffic but rather faster traffic and that is a very different issue.