New Benidorm Road Project
Building new roads always causes controversy because it takes up land ,often from people who don’t want to sell it .Now developments to the CV-70 have been announced from Benidorm to alcoy and already the voives of dissent can be heard.
The regional public works council has at least announced that this “road improvement” will not be a new motorway.They say hat all of the environmental issues would not permit such a project to take place.
The Public works councillor says that the project is to widen the CV-70 and to make it safer by getting rid of the dangerous bends in it.It is going to cost between 120 million euros and 150 million euros,depending on whether the plan a 400 metre tunnel or a 1 kilometre long tunnel.Bypasses would be built around Benimantell,Benifato,Confrides,Benasau and Benilloba.The widened road would also be connected to the Alcoy to Alicante motorway and to the Benidorm bypass.
The socialist opposition in Valencia see the whole announcement as absurd as the councillor has so many unresolved projects ongoing that to add another at this time is not acceptable.
Alicante Bikes
Alicante is no exception when it comes to its traffic problems and getting from one place to another can be a rather slow affair.Pedro Garcia of the action group Alicante en Bici actually challenged a frien to a race across Alicante city,from Calle Doctor Rico on the San Blas trading estate to the town hall.Pedro would be on a bike and the friend driving a car.
The journey was 4.15 kilometres long and for Sr Garcia he clocked nine minutes and four seconds while his friend took 17 minutes and 25 seconds plus a further 3 minutes and 15 seconds to park his car and walk to the town hall.
The reason for all of this was to prove to the council that a system of cycle lanes would be a real asset to the city,it would encourage more people to use bicycles and would reduce pollution and congestion.These two me presented their proposal to the council on the day before the “Dia sin coche”day,which ended European Mobility week .In their application they have asked the mayor to develop the bicycle lane plan she announced a few months ago following calls for a bicycle and a bus lane on the Avenida de Denia.
Costa Calida and Costa Blanca Arrests
Twenty people have been arrested by the National police in Murcia ,Elda and Villena on smuggling charges.They are charged with smuggling nine kilos of cocaine into Spain from Colombia.The police say that the nine kilos was part of a much larger consignment of 300 kilos that the gang was preparing to smuggle in.The drugs had a street value of over 1 million euros.
The investigation began some months ago when an undercover officer discovered a link between a known drug dealer and a small quantity of cocaine.Telephone taps revealed that this man was part of a gang based in Murcia with connections in Elda and Villena.It also revealed that they were arranging a big deal with a group in Colombia.
The gang used the transport links provided by an international importer,bringing it in via Valencia and then moving it to secure locations in Alicante Province.The drugs were intercepted in Villena on the same day the twenty men were arrested.
Searches of properties in Villena ,Elda and Murcia revealed a number of weapons and high powered vehicles,along with quantities of other drugs.All 20 have been remanded in custody while officers continue to investigate the whole operation.It is expected that more arrests will be made.