Valencia motorway link road completed
Bypass of Font de la Figuera avoids windy ‘death’ road
A NEW connection between the A-31 Alicante-Madrid motorway and the A-33 towards Valencia, bypassing Font de la Figuera, has been opened by the ministry for public works.
This 3.2 kilometre stretch has all the characteristics of a motorway and replaces the existing road between the A31 and the N-344.
That narrow and winding road with numerous slopes up and down, which is used by many heavy goods vehicles, has been the scene of numerous accidents that have injured and killed motorists over the last few decades.
The ministry expects the new road will carry around 7,500 vehicles per day heading towards Valencia, half of which would be HGVs.
These vehicles would shorten their route from 5km to 2km and their journey time from five minutes to two.
There is also a single-lane access 1.2km long and 2km of additional motorway towards Valencia.
With this new opening, the Font de la Figuera bypass project now includes 12km of motorway Valencia-bound, and 8km towards Alicante.
The bypass is also required for the construction of the A-33 linking the A-35 from Valencia with the A-30 to Murcia for 90km across the Altiplano via Yecla and Jumilla. This will be important for goods traffic from Murcia and eastern Andalucía to Valencia, Cataluña and the EU.
It has been planned since 2003 and the first contracts were tendered in 2007, while the €37 million connection from Font de la Figuera to the Madrid motorway was started in 2013 and supposed to be ready the following year but delayed by budget cuts.
Now only 20% of the connection is unfinished, as in June 2017 the ministry opened 5km bypassing the town centre, another 2km to eliminate dangerous bends on the A-31 in December 2017 and in June 2018 another 4km which continue from the section opened this week.