The Provincial Council puts €250,000 of rural road repairs in Arboleas, Sierro and Urrácal out to tender
The Provincial Council is putting rural road repairs in seven villages out to tender. Three are in the Valley: Arboleas (€90,000), Sierro and Urrácal (€80,000 each).
Automatic translation: this article was translated with artificial intelligence from the original in Spanish. Read the original
Almería Provincial Council has put out to tender the repair of rural roads in Arboleas, Sierro and Urrácal, with €250,000 for the three villages. They are part of a package of road rehabilitation and paving works in seven municipalities in the province, with a total budget of €580,000, which was approved at its latest Governing Board meeting, the provincial institution has reported.
What is being repaired in each village
- Arboleas (€90,000): four roads: Los Rubiales (also called Vereda de Leñadores), Tahullas, Los Menchones and Vereda del Rincón.
- Sierro (€80,000): paving with a concrete slab. The priority is the Camino de la Fuente Sorbas, also known as Camino del Cortijo, and whatever is left over will go to the Camino de las Antenas.
- Urrácal (€80,000): roads around the village centre, to improve mobility and connections with farming and forest areas.
The rest is shared between Ohanes, Santa Fe de Mondújar and Velefique, with €80,000 each, and Turre, with €90,000. According to the provincial councillor for Sustainability, José Juan Martínez, all the projects include budget items for temporary signage and safety during the works, and meet the technical requirements for managing construction and demolition waste.
Why it matters here
A rural road in good condition is how many local men and women get to their land, to the farmhouses (cortijos) and to the hills every day. After all, when one falls into disrepair, the first to notice are the farmer, the livestock farmer or the family who live in the countryside.
It counts for even more in small villages that, like so many in the Valley, are losing population. Sierro has 364 residents and Urrácal 340, according to the INE, Spain’s National Statistics Institute: 12 and 10 fewer, respectively, than a year earlier. There, every improvement that makes it easier to work the land or live in the countryside adds up.
The Provincial Council itself explained at the end of August, when its full council meeting approved another batch of road works, that this work aims to make it easier to reach farms and livestock holdings, scattered settlements and natural areas, and to make sure that those who use these roads can do so more safely. For 2024-2027, its roads plan has €14 million for the whole province.
The tender will be followed by the award of the works contract. For now, no information has been given on when the work will start or how long it will last.
