Noticias
Ministry of Public Works opens the three first sections of the A-54 in Lugo
The A-54, the freeway that connects Lugo and Santiago de Compostela is taking shape. The Spanish Ministry of Public Works opened this Monday March 30th the three first sections of the said freeway in an opening event held in Guntín and attended by the President of the Autonomous Government of Galicia, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, and the Secretary General for Infrastructures, Manuel Niño. Azierta has participated in the works providing technical services in the control and supervision of the construction works of one of these sections, the longest of the three opened, the one connecting Monte de Meda and Guntín, which is 10.8 km long and executed by the construction company Sacyr. The other two sections that are already in use since 2000 hours of March 30 are Nadela-Vilamoure (6.6 kms) and Vilamoure-Monte de Meda (5.6).
A total of 23 km have been built and opened across the province of Lugo, the first step to the ending of the A-54 with a further 15 km section that will take the freeway to Palas de Rei with a three kilometer branch to access Lugo, which is expected to be achieved before the end of this year, initially in the month of September. The Department explains that the €177 million investment in all three sections breaks down as follows: €139 million for the works proper, 31 million for the expropriation of land for the construction of the freeway and seven further million for technical services in the writing of projects, control and surveillance.
The new freeway is an alternative to the N-540 in its section between Lugo and Guntín, which is used by an average of 10,000 vehicles. The Department estimates that its opening will reduce the journey time in 10 minutes as well as increase the comfort and safety for its users as the current highway has a high accident rate. Vehicles from Santiago using the N-547 and those from Ourense using the N-540 will then be able to avoid the Guntín road thanks to the use of the new traffic circles of Western Guntin and East Guntín. Also among the strengths of the project that the Department of Public Works has underscored are its environmental integration as vegetation will be restored using local species and the preservation of the archeological heritage, which consists of the iron-age settlements of A Casilla, A Madorra and Ventosiños and the pseudo-tumular ring of Coeses.
The freeway is divided with two lanes, 3.5 meter-wide lane on each direction and 1 meter inner shoulders, 2.5 meter-wide outer shoulders and a 9 meter median strip. The A-54 will have 4 junctions in these sections: at Villamoure, with connects with LU-612; at Monte de Meda that joins the N-540 through a viaduct; at Veiga, a diamond interchange connects with provincial highway CP-1611 and through this with N-540; and at Guntín it stretches up to the next section of the A-54, Guntín-Palas de Rei, which is still under construction. In the three sections that have been opened there are 9 viaducts (particularly remarkable is the one over the Miño River, at the southeast of Albares, with a height of 341 meters and a central span of 155 meters), 20 overpasses, 12 underpass and over 40 transversal drainage works and wildlife crossings.
Azierta participated in the works corresponding to the longest section completed so far which starts in the municipality of Monterros and ends up at the crossing in the vicinity of Monte de Meda. Works included the construction of two junctions (the ones at Veiga and Monte de Meda), the provisional connection with the previous section and the next one and the coordination of this section with the future freeway A-56 that will connect Ourense and Lugo as well as the construction of the rest area on the right side of the freeway with direction towards Lugo. Azierta works included the design of twelve of the structures mentioned, two viaducts and bridges, eight overpasses and two underpasses.
A total of 23 km have been built and opened across the province of Lugo, the first step to the ending of the A-54 with a further 15 km section that will take the freeway to Palas de Rei with a three kilometer branch to access Lugo, which is expected to be achieved before the end of this year, initially in the month of September. The Department explains that the €177 million investment in all three sections breaks down as follows: €139 million for the works proper, 31 million for the expropriation of land for the construction of the freeway and seven further million for technical services in the writing of projects, control and surveillance.
The new freeway is an alternative to the N-540 in its section between Lugo and Guntín, which is used by an average of 10,000 vehicles. The Department estimates that its opening will reduce the journey time in 10 minutes as well as increase the comfort and safety for its users as the current highway has a high accident rate. Vehicles from Santiago using the N-547 and those from Ourense using the N-540 will then be able to avoid the Guntín road thanks to the use of the new traffic circles of Western Guntin and East Guntín. Also among the strengths of the project that the Department of Public Works has underscored are its environmental integration as vegetation will be restored using local species and the preservation of the archeological heritage, which consists of the iron-age settlements of A Casilla, A Madorra and Ventosiños and the pseudo-tumular ring of Coeses.
The freeway is divided with two lanes, 3.5 meter-wide lane on each direction and 1 meter inner shoulders, 2.5 meter-wide outer shoulders and a 9 meter median strip. The A-54 will have 4 junctions in these sections: at Villamoure, with connects with LU-612; at Monte de Meda that joins the N-540 through a viaduct; at Veiga, a diamond interchange connects with provincial highway CP-1611 and through this with N-540; and at Guntín it stretches up to the next section of the A-54, Guntín-Palas de Rei, which is still under construction. In the three sections that have been opened there are 9 viaducts (particularly remarkable is the one over the Miño River, at the southeast of Albares, with a height of 341 meters and a central span of 155 meters), 20 overpasses, 12 underpass and over 40 transversal drainage works and wildlife crossings.
Azierta participated in the works corresponding to the longest section completed so far which starts in the municipality of Monterros and ends up at the crossing in the vicinity of Monte de Meda. Works included the construction of two junctions (the ones at Veiga and Monte de Meda), the provisional connection with the previous section and the next one and the coordination of this section with the future freeway A-56 that will connect Ourense and Lugo as well as the construction of the rest area on the right side of the freeway with direction towards Lugo. Azierta works included the design of twelve of the structures mentioned, two viaducts and bridges, eight overpasses and two underpasses.
