The Ministry of Transport has announced that it intends to investigate why an A-7 cutting next to the Castell junction suffered a huge rockfall.

The eastbound lanes ended up under tonnes of rubble yesterday evening necessitating that the autovía be closed down between kilometre point 342 and 354. Traffic between those two junctions have to use the old N-340.

The Ministry has not been able to give a date for a reopening as the hillside is so unstable that rocks and earth continue to come down, making it dangerous to even start clearing it. Once it is deemed safe, the westbound lanes will be converted to two-way, single-lane traffic.

Before

With last night’s rockfall it brings the recent total to three in the last twelve days. Last year the cutting on the opposite side gave way, as reported in the Seaside Gazette and shortly after the inauguration of the section Castell-Puntalón, there was a subsidence requiring extensive repairs.

Editorial Comment: cutting corners to meet politically favourable, inauguration dates or faulty route planning are two possible explanations.

(News: Castell de Ferro, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)