ISSUE NO. 1696
4 - 10 January 2018
COSTA BLANCA SOUTH
YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION
€84m green light ROAD WORKS: The project will extend parts of the A7
Motorway project approved
ROAD WORKS: The project will extend parts of the A7. A project with a budget of €84.3 million has been approved to extend the third lane of the A-7 between Orihuela and Monteagudo. The majority of the works will reportedly extend the road between kilometres 545 and 559 of the A-7, located in the districts of Orihuela, Santomera and Murcia. Approximately 14.4 kilometres of the
stretch will be extended. Currently, a reported 47,000 vehicles use the stretch of the dual-lane highway every day, with 20 per cent of those classed as heavy vehicles. The expansion of the third lane will reportedly help alleviate traffic levels, as well as improve the level of service and safety to road users.
A fourth lane between the Santomera and Abanilla link has also been planned as part of the project. A number of environmental measures will also be added to the roads, including anti-noise screens, sound-absorbing asphalt pavement, and replacement of livestock trails, all valued at an estimated €4.5 million.
Winter follows records WINTER will come to the Costa Blanca South this weekend as polar air and rainfall hits the region just in time for the Festival of the Three Kings. The wintry weather comes after an unseasonably dry spell. The last quarter of 2017 was the driest on record and therefore in 77 years. Between the beginning of October and end of December just 17 litres fell per square metre, according to the State Meteorological Agency. The month of December was the third driest this century. In the northwest of the region and in the Alti-
plano there was more rainfall, but nowhere near enough to compensate for months of low rainfall. December reportedly saw average regional temp era tu res o f 9 . 3 d e g ree s , with eight days of strong winds. ‘Moderate amounts’ of rain will arrive on Friday night as temperatures plummet, according to
Jorge Olcina, professor of Geographical Analysis and director of the Institute of Climatology of the
University of Alicante. H o w e v e r, o t h e r f o r e casts suggest rain may not fall.
WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM