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With autumn around the corner and the prospect of heavy rainfall returning to the Region of Murcia, the regional government has launched a €688,000 programme of road maintenance work across several key routes. The focus is on drainage, visibility and surface quality, all areas that can deteriorate quickly when the rains arrive.

 

The largest single investment is on the RM-1 motorway, where €400,000 is being spent on resurfacing between kilometre markers 7 and 19, clearing and cleaning the verges, and repaving and repainting the Zeneta interchange. The RM-19, known as the Mar Menor motorway, has received €100,000 at the Balsicas interchange in Torre Pacheco, covering resurfacing of the entry and exit ramps, a full overhaul of the roundabout and fresh road markings.

 

Work is also under way on the RM-11, the expressway linking Lorca and Águilas, where vegetation clearance is being carried out on the main road and its connecting interchanges to keep verges clear and improve visibility. Jorge García Montoro, the regional Minister for Infrastructure, visited the route to highlight the importance of this kind of preparation. "Road maintenance requires year-round work, especially in preparing drainage systems and cleaning the verges before rain," he said.

 

In the Cartagena area, three roads have seen clearing and cleaning work: the RM-F36 ring road, the RM-F35 connecting Cartagena with San Javier, and the RM-F54 between Los Urrutias and Los Nietos. The priority has been reducing the risk of branches falling onto the road and improving visibility for drivers. On the RM-F35 within San Javier, drainage systems have also been cleaned and ditches rebuilt specifically to handle water run-off during heavy rainfall.

 

Rounding out the programme, the main road through Sucina in the municipality of Murcia has been repaved and repainted as part of the routine maintenance effort.

 

Anyone who has driven in Murcia during a serious downpour will understand why this kind of preparation matters. Drainage failures and debris on the road can turn a wet afternoon into a genuinely hazardous situation. Getting ahead of it before the autumn rains arrive is, as García Montoro put it, simply part of keeping the network in shape throughout the year.

 

 

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