New pedestrian path over the AP-7 on the Orihuela Costa has been narrowed by one metre

The plan for the pedestrian bridge over the AP-7 highway on the Orihuela Costa has cut its width from the 4.3 metres in the tender documents to three metres for those walking and biking. Because of the size and safety distances, this means that bikes would have to be walked across. Also, three modest land grabs are in the works.

In November, the City Council gave the job of writing the project for the footbridge, which will be used by both bikes and walkers, to the business Anta Ingeniería Civil. The footbridge will connect the Lomas de Cabo Roig area with Calle Creus street on the San Miguel road.

There is a lot of traffic on this bridge because it is the only way for people in La Cuerda or Lomas de Golf to go to the beaches, the health centre, the pharmacy, and the grocery stores. There is only one lane of traffic in each direction, and there are no pavements, so pedestrians have to walk along the shoulder, which is just 40 centimetres wide, which puts their safety at danger.

So, the residents have been asking for this for a long time. The PP-Vox coalition government put its drafting out to tender in April, and it was finally won seven months later for 72,600 euros, which was 13,800 euros less than the original budget. This was after more than 20 years of stasis.

Pepe Vegara, the Mayor, ran for office on this project, and it was even the first investment revealed when the 2024 budgets were authorised.

Project

The winning bidder additionally suggested adding to the technical team by hiring a civil engineer and a university technician in Environmental Sciences. This exercise was done to make sure that the project was sound from both a structural and an environmental point of view.

The specifications say that both pedestrians and cyclists would be able to use the space, with a clear passage width of at least 1.8 metres and a minimum width of 2.5 metres for the two-way bike lane. There were 4.3 metres in total, but today there are only three.

The idea also includes LED lights for pedestrians and cyclists on the road and a design for the footbridge that fits in with the city where it is located. It also includes a lighting study to make sure there is enough light, which is another request from the neighbourhood.

Deadlines

But this important piece of infrastructure that will help eliminate the constant problems with moving people about, make sure their safety, and improve connections between densely crowded areas will have to wait.

The work must be placed out to bid when the Alicante Highways Authority (Ministry of Public Works) gives its approval. This group could also raise concerns. The contract could take nine months to a year to award because it is worth roughly 1.4 million euros. This means that construction on the footbridge could start at the end of this year or the beginning of 2027. When the tender is made public, we will know how long the work will take. It might be roughly five months from when it is awarded, which is probably not before a year, so it will be done just before the 2027 elections.

The Unidos por la Costa neighbourhood association stated that with these deadlines, there is a chance that it won’t be functioning until after the next term. This is because electoral law says that inaugurations can’t happen until after elections have been called.

Building cities

The clauses that made the Lomas de Cabo Roig region grow included making this bridge on the CV-941 road that spans the highway wider. The developer started the urbanisation work in December 2004 and did all of the scheduled work at the time, however they never erected the pedestrian flyover.

It then put down a bank guarantee. The High Court of Justice of the Valencian Community recently turned down an appeal from Caixabank (formerly Bancaja), confirming that it must give the City Council a guarantee of almost 1.3 million euros. This also confirmed the plenary agreement that took the guarantee from the urban development company so that the municipality can do the work, which has been waiting for more than 20 years.