Torrevieja has permanently closed the remaining section of Avenida de la Libertad to ordinary traffic as part of the pedestrianisation of the port area, immediately causing congestion across the town centre.
The road, which previously connected the waterfront with Calle Ramón y Cajal, will now be restricted to emergency and authorised delivery vehicles. Traffic arriving from María Parodi, Azorín and Avenida Faleria must instead leave the port through Rambla Juan Mateo.
Within minutes of Monday’s closure, queues stretched from Plaza Capdepont to the junction of Rambla Juan Mateo and Calle Ramón Gallud, also affecting Calle Pedro Lorca. The congestion was intensified by delivery vehicles, double parking and the heavy volume of mid-August traffic.
The closure has renewed criticism of the City Council’s management of the €40 million waterfront redevelopment. Mayor Eduardo Dolón originally suggested burying town-centre traffic underground, but the estimated €165 million cost led to the proposal being abandoned. Less ambitious plans to increase road capacity by removing parking spaces and outdoor terraces have also failed to materialise.
Although the private Paseo del Mar development, its underground car park and internal access road have opened, promised municipal improvements to surrounding roads remain incomplete. A temporary port roundabout has already proved too small, while a new single-lane route has divided Plaza Capdepont in two.
María Parodi and Rambla Juan Mateo are now the principal routes into and out of the area, despite parking and restaurant terraces continuing to reduce their capacity. Planned park-and-ride facilities are also unfinished, while nearby bus stops have been temporarily relocated.
The council has presented the closure as another step towards completing the delayed port redevelopment. The deadline for finishing the pedestrian esplanade, which will accommodate the returning Funfair, has been extended until September 10, although officials say the attractions could open before construction is formally completed.
