The Orihuela Chamber of Commerce has joined Torrevieja City Council in demanding that the Spanish government approve and carry out the long-awaited widening of the N-332 through the municipality.
The chamber described the project as urgent, essential and important to the entire Vega Baja region, arguing that continued congestion is damaging mobility, tourism, trade and economic growth.
Chamber president Mario Martínez said the N-332 upgrade was one of the area’s longstanding infrastructure demands, alongside improvements to the CV-95 between Orihuela and Torrevieja and the removal of tolls from relevant sections of the AP-7 motorway.
“The widening of the N-332 cannot wait any longer,” Martínez said. “It is a structural problem affecting mobility, tourism, commerce, services and economic activity throughout the region.”
The chamber said congestion in and around Torrevieja was no longer limited to the peak summer season but had become a year-round problem. It called on every municipality in the Vega Baja to support Torrevieja’s campaign, arguing that the road affects coastal connections as well as businesses and workers in inland towns.
“What happens in Torrevieja also affects our companies and employees,” Martínez said.
He warned that unreliable journey times and inadequate transport alternatives could discourage companies from establishing, expanding or investing in the region.
The chamber wants the N-332 project to form part of a wider mobility strategy for the Vega Baja. This should include completing the CV-95 as a key connection between Orihuela and Torrevieja and removing AP-7 tolls on sections serving the region.
Martínez said residents, businesses and visitors continued to be penalised by tolls and roads that had waited too long for permanent improvements. He called for a coordinated investment plan capable of bringing the Vega Baja’s transport network into the 21st century.
Chamber Opposes Solar Farms on Valuable Land
The chamber also addressed proposals for new photovoltaic facilities across Orihuela and the wider Vega Baja.
It supports renewable energy and the transition towards more sustainable development but argues that solar projects must be properly planned and should not occupy land with high agricultural or tourism value.
Martínez suggested that solar panels could instead be installed over irrigation reservoirs, industrial and municipal rooftops and suitable areas around La Pedrera reservoir.
The chamber said renewable energy should create opportunities for the Vega Baja without reducing productive farmland or threatening sectors regarded as strategically important to the regional economy.
