CV- 60 motorway widening and La Safor link plans funded

A TENTATIVE step towards widening the CV- 60 motorway holds promise for inland La Safor and the Vall d'Albaida, as well as residents in both districts who use it as a back road to Alicante airport.

The motorway, which is traffic- free most of the time and has no toll charge, is a dual carriageway from its entrance at Palma de Gandía ( La Safor) as far as Terrateig ( Vall d'Albaida), when it reduces to one lane until L'Olleria.

Taking the Alicante airport road means turning off at Montaverner and then connecting with the A- 7 to Alcoi, before reaching L'Olleria.

The single- carriageway part is where traffic tends to build up and overtaking is nearly impossible.

As the main route from southern inland parts of the province to the coast and the AP- 7 motorway, its widening has been the subject of impassioned campaigns for years, although no concrete action has ever been taken.

Now, though, the regional government has commissioned the plans, which will include an easy link to the CV- 60 from the N- 332 in Gandía, widening the

Palma de Gandía and Beniflà roads onto the motorway, and a connection to the AP- 7 between Almoines and Beniarjó.

The entire project is expected to cost about € 150 million.

Work will probably not be able to start until around 2023, but the plans should be ready next year.

Farther south, however, the roundabout at the Oliva AP- 7 exit is now completely open after the N- 332 was shut overnight for several days to finish the long- awaited interchange, which has removed a notorious accident blackspot.