The opening of the San Pedro Alcántara underground tunnel on Tuesday put an end to one of the worst “black spots” on the Costa del Sol’s highway network.
An average of 65,000 vehicles a day will now have easier access to all destinations west of the town. Just one kilometre long, the tunnel represents a huge jump forward in quality for drivers. A boulevard will be built on the land above the tunnel, giving priority to pedestrians and with lots of green areas.
It took five years to build, marked by the difficulty of combining excavation works with traffic flows. Work was often halted because of economic difficulties.
One of the first things Development minister Ana Pastor did after she was appointed last November was to meet Marbella mayor Ángeles Muñoz to give the tunnel top priority.