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Date Published: 18/01/2024

Council considers bank loan to pay for Orihuela Costa AP-7 footbridge

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A pedestrian bridge is desperately needed to connect Lomas de Cabo Roig with the rest of Orihuela Costa

Council considers bank loan to pay for Orihuela Costa AP-7 footbridge

For more than a decade, the residents of Lomas de Cabo Roig have been a demanding a footbridge over the AP-7 leading towards the coast. At the moment, the busy two-lane road serves as the main connection between the popular residential district and the rest of the Orihuela Costa but pedestrians have little more than a few centimetres of hard shoulder to themselves.

The road becomes especially treacherous in the summer months, the verges crammed with walkers, tourists on bikes and even families pushing buggies as heavy traffic speeds by despite the slow limit.

This week, mayor Pepe Vegara has acknowledged the urgency of building a pedestrian footbridge and has set it as one of two top priorities for the area, alongside the construction of a new water treatment plant, also in Lomas.

But how will an issue that has been dragging on for years finally be sorted? Well, according to local government sources, the mayor is trying to secure a bank loan of 1.37 million euros to fund the project, which can only enhance the safety and freedom of residents and improve their quality of life. It would also breathe new life into the area as a tourist destination if holidaymakers could safely stroll to the beaches and nearby Cabo Roig strip.

The road to this long-awaited bridge has been paved with broken promises and let downs. Back in January 2002, a company called Urbana San Miguel SL was given a huge budget to develop Lomas de Cabo Roig and the footbridge was included in the plans. A guarantee of 1.2 million euros was signed by the bank in December 2004.

However, over the next few years the company fell into financial difficulty and the bridge never materialised.

In the ordinary plenary session of July 2021, the old government team of Mayor Emilio Bascuñana, thoroughly exasperated by the stalling development company, declared that the contract was null and void. The council was given permission to seize the bank guarantee in 2004 but the developer refused to hand over the money.

Much to-ing and fro-ing ensued and the battle is still raging to this day, with the City Council fighting to reclaim the funds lost to the developer. In the meantime, though, plans to secure a new loan appear to be progressing, and the mayor has assured that 1.3 million would be enough to see the entire project through to completion.

In other news: Urgent calls for campervan parking on the Orihuela Costa

Image: AVOCA Asociación de vecinos Orihuela Costa en Acción

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