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Cartagena’s much-loved Via Verde (Green Way) is in for a welcome upgrade, with plans to make it safer, smoother and more enjoyable for walkers and cyclists. The Ayuntamiento has put out to tender a €165,233 project to “restore the route to its original functionality” and turn it into a more accessible and attractive corridor for leisure and everyday use.

 

La Via Verde, which follows the line of the old railway, is now part of the wider regional greenway network and is seen as a key piece in Cartagena’s sustainable mobility and tourism plans. The Ayuntamiento stresses that “it is not just about fixing a path, but about committing to a city model that embraces its natural heritage,” opening the door to more cycle tourism, hiking and quiet escapes among fields and countryside.

 

Right now, some stretches are in poor shape. Between Santa Ana and the AP-7, the surface is badly worn, with damage from agricultural vehicles and even partial flooding in the underpass by the motorway. Similar problems appear between La Aljorra and SABIC, where cyclists, walkers and tractors share space with little signage, making things confusing and sometimes unsafe.

 

The project is quite detailed. It includes intensive clearing where vegetation has taken over, rebuilding and stabilising the track base by excavating up to 30 centimetres, and adding a bituminous surface in the first 700 metres to give a more solid ride. Road crossings will be milled and freshly asphalted, and vertical signage will be completely renewed, especially at busy junctions where bikes, pedestrians and farm vehicles meet. A small rest area is also planned, with new concrete benches and wooden signs to make stopping more pleasant.

 

In the end, the aim is simple: to make la Via Verde “a comfortable, safe space again, connected to its surroundings.” The improved surface and clearer signage should also encourage more people to use the route for non-motorised travel and to rediscover a slice of Cartagena’s natural landscape that many currently pass by without a second thought.

 

 

Image: Ayuntamiento de Cartagena