Despite a multitude of promises to fix the Orihuela Costa potholes by all parties in the run up to the Municipal Elections, we are unlikely to see progress anytime soon.
This is because there have been absolutely no bidders from amongst local companies wishing to deliver the contract to supply the necessary materials, bitumen or other construction supplies, so far from being filled, even though this too is only a temporary measure, the problems experienced by drivers on the Orihuela coast will undoubtedly continue to grow.
The most recent tender has borne no fruit whatsoever as Orihuela contracting officers confirmed that, upon opening tender applications for various council works on the due date, 17 May, there were no companies willing to supply the City Council with the necessary materials so they have now declared Lots 1 and 2, those corresponding to bituminous mixtures and construction materials, of the contest, void.
Within Lot 1 there are up to four types of compounds that serve to bind the layers of tarmac while in Lot 2, you can find everything from sand, gravel and cement to curbs, tiles and prefabricated manholes. Both of the lots were valued at euro 36,036.
The technical specifications sheet states that “the calculation of the budget for the contract has been carried out taking into account the materials used in previous years.” However, it is clear that with the increase in the prices of materials during the last 12 months or so, these funds are not enough.
What has neither helped is the knowledge that the company currently providing the road maintenance service, Zaplana Caselles, is currently in litigation with the City Council on account of an alleged crime of prevarication that they have accused the dismissed Councillor for Infrastructures, Ángel Noguera of.
So, without a change to the funding structure and the amount allocated, when the new PP government takes office in the coming days, Orihuela Costa road conditions can’t – and won’t – improve. It’s possible that in a few years it will feel like we’re driving across the surface of the moon and all its craters.
