Almería Provincial Council invests €220,000 to protect the AL-7100 through Oria and the AL-9102 from rain

Almería Provincial Council has launched nine projects, with a budget of €220,000, to reinforce the AL-7100 and AL-9102 provincial roads, improve their drainage and prevent further landslides like those caused by the torrential rain of October 2024. The provincial councillor for Development, Infrastructure, Territorial Cohesion and Water, Antonio J. Rodríguez, has visited the works together with the mayor of Oria, Marcos Reche, according to the Provincial Council.

Five sites on the AL-7100

Most of the works are concentrated on the AL-7100, the road linking Albox and Chirivel via El Saliente, within the municipal areas of Oria and Chirivel. These are the interventions, kilometre point by kilometre point:

• At 0+450: cleaning and clearing of scrub from the slope, and construction of a rock-fill wall parallel to the road.
• At 7+850: a drainage chute with kerbs and a concrete base.
• At 20+650: a slab to protect the roadbed.
• Between 23+000 and 23+090: masonry walls to prevent material from being washed away.
• Between 27+570 and 27+800: a roadside ditch to improve drainage.

And four more on the AL-9102

The other four interventions are spread along the AL-9102, which links Vélez Blanco with Cañadas de Cañepla, within the municipal area of María. There, slopes are being restored next to the crossing over the River Caramel, rock-fill walls and a wall with a slab and kerb are being built to channel rainwater, and a cross-drainage structure that was left partly undermined by the latest floods is being repaired. The works will be completed with road signs and road markings.

The provincial councillor for Development explained that “this project reflects the Provincial Council’s commitment to the safety and maintenance of the Provincial Road Network”, especially at the points affected by the heavy rain, and that this is necessary work to protect the road platform, improve water drainage and prevent damage in future episodes of intense rainfall.

More than a number on the map

For local residents, the AL-7100 is much more than a number on the map: it is the road that links the Almanzora with Los Vélez via El Saliente. With these works, the Provincial Council aims to guarantee, in the provincial councillor’s words, “safer and more reliable communications” for residents in the north of the province, in an area where the torrential rain of October 2024 caused landslides and washouts.