Yep, it’s official, according to La Voz, there is no cash to finish off the Garrucha – Vera dual carriageway, the A-1200, and anyway, the plans are obsolete.
The main problem, it seems, is that when the road was first planned -oooooh, a decade ago?- nobody factored in either the AVE, the AVE station or the huge development at Puerto Rey. Until somebody actually bought up the topic early last year, at which point everyone went “huh?”.
So the road has been stopped since early next year (despite a lot of the path having been bulldozed, and the existing road being left in a lamentable state) whilst the technicians worked out how to accomodate the AVE line and a new exit for the Puerto Rey urbanisations (at the Gnomo Feliz crossroads). Originally it was only going to be a sliproad, but it was since pointed out that nothing less than a complete flyover would suffice for such a population base.
But, these things are expensive, flyovers and all that, and it’s not in the budget. Nor is it likely to be. Accounts differ on when, or even if, the cash will turn up.
La Voz tried to track down the Mayor of Vera for comment, but it turns out he’s in the Canary Islands on holiday (lucky stiff). Hope he wears sunglasses, he always used to warn me about the dangers of bright sunlight (he was my optician for many years). Some lacky in the townhall told them that it’s up to the regional government to come up with the cash and that the townhall of Vera would continue to press for completion.
The Junta says that it is awaiting the completion of the technical reports before amending the budget and continuing. The works company confirmed that they will not carry out any further work until they have been assured of payment, hinting that the days of trusting the government to pay on time are over.
Meanwhile, the taxpayer who actually pays for it all continues to rumble over speed humps and potholes whilst dodging the surprisingly mobile concrete filled plastic bollards that are supposed to keep you away from the works.
2012 completion date? We’ll be lucky to see a worker on it before 2016.