Malaga provincial authority commits 7.5 million euros to repair storm-damaged roads in the Serranía de Ronda

The final cost of the emergency works rose sharply after inspections found the damage caused by February's storms was more severe than first estimated

Europa Press

The Diputación de Málaga has increased its investment in emergency road repairs in the Serranía de Ronda to 7.5 million euros after discovering that damage from February's storms was significantly worse than initially expected.

According to the provincial authority, 14 roads in the area were affected by the severe weather, with repair costs rising by 3.3 million euros above original estimates. The works form part of a wider programme that will see a total of 9.3 million euros spent on repairing damage across Malaga province's road network.

Diputación president Francisco Salado said emergency repairs had already been completed on 16 roads in the Axarquía and six in the Guadalhorce Valley, where a further 1.8 million euros has been invested.

Salado said the provincial road network had never suffered such extensive storm damage and highlighted the efforts of the Roads and Public Works service to restore normal conditions.

The roads undergoing repairs in the Serranía de Ronda include routes linking Igualeja, Pujerra, Alpandeire, Faraján, Genalguacil, Benarrabá, Benalauría, Benaoján and Cortes de la Frontera, as well as access roads to Acinipo, El Colmenar and Casares.

Traffic restored

With the exception of the MA-7402 road leading to Acinipo, traffic has now been restored on all affected routes. Most of the work has involved clearing landslides, restoring drainage systems by replacing ditches and rebuilding damaged sections of road with rock retaining walls.

One of the largest projects is on the MA-8306 road to Benalauría, where part of the road platform collapsed and must be reconstructed. Stabilisation works are also being carried out on nearby slopes using large retaining structures.

Similar repairs are also under way on the MA-8303 in Benarrabá, where landslides caused several breaks in the road platform. In the most serious cases, including the MA-9300 access road to El Colmenar and the MA-8401 route to Cortes de la Frontera, engineers are installing deep foundations using micropiles to stabilise the ground.