The adviser for Development and Mobility, Mario Muñoz-Atanet, has reported that the construction works for the Martos–Arroyo Salado section of the Autovía del Olivar (A-316), in the province of Jaén, have been under way since last October.
Muñoz-Atanet provided these figures this Thursday during the full session of the Parliament of Andalusia, in response to the PP deputy Catalina García, who had shown interest in the status of the Úbeda–Estepa connection, whose final sections were put into service at the end of 2015.
García stressed that the Autovía del Olivar is key for the "territorial cohesion" and the socio-economic push of Andalusia, and highlighted the "commitment" of the current regional executive to this infrastructure, with an investment of 35 million euros in the section now under way.
The parliamentarian called for knowing the plans of the Government of Andalusia "to make feasible" the continuity of a road "so transcendental for the province of Jaén, but also for those of Córdoba and Seville", after having "let the dream of the righteous sleep" with previous administrations.
The person responsible for Development specified that "last month the works began" on the section between Martos and Arroyo Salado, just over five kilometers, and recalled that it has "nearly 40 million euros that will make it possible to transform this road into a dual carriageway". He also emphasized that the final design includes "the demands of the City Council of Martos, which were not contemplated in the original project", such as the new connection with the Polígono Industrial Cañada de la Fuente and access to the future olive-growing industrial estate.
Muñoz-Atanet presented this project as "an example of the commitment" of the regional government to improving road infrastructures and "the structuring of the territory". He also highlighted "the management capacity of this government", since the initiative was "in a drawer since 2011" and it was necessary to "start from scratch, recover the project, tender it, draft it, secure funding, carry out the environmental processing, and award it" until reaching the current scenario, with "the works under way".
After stressing that the Autovía del Olivar is "a structural axis of the territory" and "connects important medium-sized cities with a relevant industrial capacity", the adviser advanced that his department is working "also in the future, so that this project does not stop".
"That is why, we are drafting the project for the next phase, the section of Salado stream - A-6051; we are also drafting the project for the bypass of Cabra and an action involving an accident concentration section in Puente Genil," he added.
Details of the project in the Martos-Salado stream section
The construction of the Olive Motorway section between Martos and Salado stream was awarded last June for 35,065,673 euros to the temporary business union (UTE) made up of Probisa Vías y Obras and Construcciones y Obras Taboada. This award took place shortly after the contracting of the technical assistance and construction management, for an amount close to one million euros.
The new section, with an estimated execution period of 36 months, will extend the existing motorway between Jaén and Martos towards the west, continuing the transformation of the A-316 into a motorway up to Salado stream.
As the Board detailed in June, the standard section for the future motorway includes two carriageways with two lanes per direction of travel, each seven meters wide, separated by a central median of six meters.
In its first part, the alignment will run close to the current A-316 road along its left-hand side, with a clearly descending profile that will generate cuttings and embankments of less than eight meters in height. In the final section, the wide valley of the Salado stream will be reached.
The project includes the construction of five structures: an underpass for the road, three underpasses for a path, and an overpass for the greenway. It is also planned to reinstate roads and other routes in order to maintain the current accessibility conditions, highlighting the Vía Verde del Aceite.
Likewise, preventive and corrective measures have been incorporated against environmental impact, including the design of collecting ponds for discharge in the vicinity of Salado stream.