The last time we set off down the N340/A7/goodness-knows-how-many-other-names-it-has, down to Gib, it looked as though the new by-pass around Málaga was finally open.
Either way we missed it. And trotted happily off down the usual old city by-pass route (opened nearly 20 years ago in 1992) which is pretty quiet on a Sunday anyway.
But coming back up from Gib a couple of weeks ago we decided to go for it.
Yes, the by-pass of the Málaga by-pass finally opened at the end of October. A
press release from 2008 says it was due to cost more than 83M euros for 4kms. That's roughly 21M euros per kilometre. Think we travelled more than 4kms too. Guess it cost more than 83M in the end.
Wait. I have found something slightly more up-to-date and accurate. We are now looking at a total cost of 339M euros for 21.3kms. Ah, that's more like it. Thanks Costa del Sol News - more info
here.
Anyway. It was good. It's not a toll road, at places there are four lanes, and right now, it is not overly used. Not at weekends anyway. And there are some cracking views, although, it is hard in Andalucía not to have cracking views.
If you are heading east, follow the signs for Almería. There is also less lane-swapping for that route, so it is a good thing all round.
Some pix.
Heading off on the new road..
One of the last parts of the by-pass to be completed was the 1.25k Churriana tunnel.
Entrance to the tunnel
Graffiti artists are in there as fast as they can
Looking towards the airport, the new road runs well north
And, with Málaga behind us, heading for the hills of the Axarquía
