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A lethal accident blackspot on the RM-F35 road at the intersection with Camino del Sifón in the Campo de Cartagena area is set to be transformed into a roundabout after years of collisions that existing safety measures have failed to prevent.

 

The regional Ministry of Public Works and Infrastructure has put the project out to tender, with a budget of just over €604,000 including taxes. Companies have until April 28 to submit their bids, and once the contract is awarded the work is expected to take six months to complete.

 

The project involves converting the existing X-shaped junction on the RM-F35 road at kilometre marker 22+250, near the Cabezo Beaza Industrial Estate, into a proper roundabout with a central island, a ring road and deflector islands on the entry and exit ramps.

 

Drainage along the route will also be improved, signage upgraded and public lighting adjusted as part of the works. Some expropriation of adjacent land will be required, with around 532 square metres across four rural plots affected by the new layout.

 

The project documentation makes clear that the junction has a long history of problems. According to the project authors, the work was commissioned specifically due to the accident rate at several intersections along the service road network in the Campo de Cartagena.

 

At the Camino del Sifón junction in particular, previous safety measures have simply not been enough to stop collisions, with the significant volume of traffic passing through the area, especially during morning and evening rush hours, continuing to cause rear-end and head-on accidents.

 

Image: Project report