Historic' Villena bypass will keep A- 31 lorries out of town

Gridlock through Villena town centre could soon become a thing of the past. Work will kick off next year on the much- needed southwest bypass.

The ring- road between the CV- 81 and A- 31 will prevent traffic on either highway from having to cut through the town, and work is set to start at the beginning of 2021.

Plans were commissioned back in 2016 for what was then considered a ' priority project', meaning it will have taken nearly five years for them to start to come to fruition.

Extending the link road between Calle Rosalía de Castro and the Altos de la Condomina industrial park to create the bypass will cost around € 3.4 million and the contract has already been put out to tender, says regional public works minister Arcadi España. Lorries coming from Yecla ( Murcia) on the CV- 81 and Pinoso on the CV- 813 will be diverted to the south of town to join the A- 31 AlicanteMadrid motorway along a 4.4- kilometre single- carriageway stretch which will include nine roundabouts and a cycle lane.

It will also mean no more rail traffic disruption caused by the level crossing on Calle Trinitarias.

The minister explained the plans and timescales when he visited the Alto Vinalopó district capital to review the drainage works under way on the CV- 809 on the VillenaCaudete border.

Local authorities in both towns have been pushing for these works for some time, as the highway becomes blocked by floods after heavy downpours.