It is only 5.5 kilometres of new road, but it will be crucial for improving journeys made by many people from Aragon traveling to the Tarragona coast.
The project has recently reached a new administrative milestone. The Ministry for Ecological Transition is currently processing the environmental assessment for the project titled “A-27 Motorway. Section: Lilla interchange – AP-2 interchange at Montblanc,” whose consultation period ended on August 10. The infrastructure must now undergo the relevant environmental assessment before moving forward toward its final development.
A KEY CONNECTION FOR JOURNEYS FROM ZARAGOZA
Currently, people traveling from Zaragoza on the AP-2 toward Tarragona and towns along the Costa Dorada face a less direct connection when they reach the Montblanc area. The new infrastructure aims to eliminate this break in the route and facilitate the connection between the AP-2 and the A-27, creating a continuous motorway and highway link between Zaragoza and Tarragona.
The Directorate-General for Roads justified the project on the basis of the expected increase in traffic following the removal of AP-2 tolls. According to official documents, the current layout of the Montblanc interchange forces vehicles seeking access to the motorway to leave the N-240, pass through a roundabout and then use a connecting ramp. The aim is to reorganize this point and facilitate movements between the N-240, the A-27 and the AP-2.
For drivers from Aragon, the change will be especially noticeable during summer journeys. Once the interchange is completed, it will be possible to travel from Zaragoza toward Tarragona and continue to popular destinations such as Salou and Cambrils while remaining on motorways and highways for practically the entire journey.
5.5 KILOMETRES TO COMPLETE THE CORRIDOR
The planned section will be approximately 5.5 kilometres long, between kilometre points 31.5 and 37 on the current N-240. The solution under consideration provides for the N-240 to operate as a service road along much of the route between Lilla and the C-14 interchange, while the new motorway runs parallel to it.
The project has a history spanning several years. In 2006, the then Ministry of Public Works began studying a motorway between Montblanc and Lleida. That proposal covered between 50 and 60 kilometres and had an initial budget of 170 million euros, but it was eventually reworked because of its high cost. Subsequently, the Ministry focused the project on the section considered a priority between Lilla and the Montblanc area.
The study order initially set an estimated tender budget of approximately 28.6 million euros, including VAT, although this is an initial estimate and the final figure may change once the project is completed.
After the environmental assessment has been passed and the final alternative selected, the Ministry will have to complete the alignment and construction plans before the works can be put out to tender. The project will close one of the remaining gaps in the connection between Aragon and Tarragona and will particularly facilitate journeys from Zaragoza to the Costa Dorada.
