The government delegate in Extremadura, José Luis Quintana, visited today the works of the Zafra variant project carried out by the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility. The Government of Spain has allocated a budget of 29.94 million euros to this action, of which around 60% of the project has been executed. The purpose of the project is to design a variant of the N-432 road as it passes through the urban center of Zafra, which currently supports the passage of an average of 13,000 vehicles a day, of which 1,200 are heavy. This new route will capture long- and medium-distance traffic, shortening transit times with respect to the crossing.
The variant runs through the municipal terms of Zafra, Los Santos de Maimona and Puebla de Sancho Pérez, and will have a length of 8.04 kilometers. Its route begins at kilometre point 68.9 and ends at kilometre point 77.5 on the N-432 road. The links established with this route will allow access to Zafra through the north and south additions, while the link with the EX-101 will allow the connection with Los Santos de Maimona and the northeast access of the municipality of Segedano.
The government delegate also stressed that this project will mean an increase in road safety for the residents of Zafra, as well as an environmental improvement, by reducing noise and pollution. Among the environmental integration measures planned are the placement of acoustic screens, the replacement of livestock roads, the landscape integration of the work, the adaptation of drainage works for the passage of fauna, the installation of enclosure that prevents the passage of fauna to the road, the control and archaeological monitoring of land movements and waste management.
Government commitment to Extremadura
Quintana recalled that the Government of Spain maintains a firm commitment to Extremadura in terms of infrastructure. On roads, works are underway in the region for approximately 200 million euros to promote the development of the road network, improve road safety and enhance sustainable mobility and accessibility to pedestrians and cyclists. In particular, the Zafra variant is joined by projects such as the Malpartida variant, the Cabezuela del Valle bridge, the first section of the Caceres - Badajoz motorway (just over 13 kilometers between the A-66 and the Ayuela river), and the southern access to Badajoz, in addition to conservation actions.
In this regard, he pointed out that the Government’s commitment to the State road network in Extremadura is clear since, thanks to the management carried out, it has gone from being in line to leading the bidding rankings on roads. Between June 2018 and December 2023, around 400 million euros were tendered, which means a 2.5 times increase in the previous government’s tender figures. Thus, Extremadura is well above the average in terms of tenders per inhabitant, with 365 euros per inhabitant compared to 200 euros of the national average and in terms of the Recovery Plan, it occupies the third place in greater investment of the State Road Network.