The project will widen and improve a 1.3-kilometre section of the CV-923, removing dangerous bends and creating a safer route for pedestrians and cyclists
The Alicante Provincial Council has opened the public consultation period for a project to widen and improve the CV-923 road between Bigastro and the Orihuela district of Hurchillo, including the creation of a new pedestrian and cycle path.
The scheme has a budget of €1,136,818.70 and an estimated execution period of eight months.
The works will affect the section between kilometre points 0+000 and 1+300 of the CV-923, the road linking Bigastro with Hurchillo, Arneva and the provincial boundary with Murcia.
According to the project report, the aim is to improve road safety on a route that currently includes several sharp bends and where pedestrian and cyclist traffic “is not currently carried out under safe conditions”.
The project covers a total of 1.3 kilometres. Between kilometre points 0+000 and 0+299.5, the existing road markings will simply be repainted. The main construction work will take place between kilometre points 0+290 and 0+800, where the road alignment will be corrected by removing tight curves, allowing for a design speed of 70 kilometres per hour.
The plan also includes widening the road to create a 2.5-metre-wide pedestrian and cycle path running alongside the carriageway.
On the bypass section, the overall road width will reach 11.9 metres. This will include two 3.15-metre traffic lanes, hard shoulders and a safety barrier separating vehicles from the pedestrian and cycle route.
The technical report states that the road currently runs through a rural agricultural area, with part of the route crossing hillside terrain with retaining walls and drainage ditches. It also notes that the existing road surface is in poor condition, with loss of binder and cracking in several sections.
The works will include earthmoving, drainage improvements, the relocation of affected utility services and the installation of new horizontal and vertical signage.
Planned interventions include the relocation of telephone poles and overhead cables, modifications to drinking water and agricultural irrigation lines, and the replacement of fencing around private properties.
The project will also require expropriations to obtain the land needed to widen the road and build the new pedestrian and cycle path.
The scheme forms part of the 2023 Provincial Plans and was drafted at the request of the Roads Department of the Alicante Provincial Council in April 2024.
