Simon Wade
MORE ACCIDENTS happened on one stretch of the A31 in 2020, than during the pre-pandemic days of 2019.
The 73 km (45 miles) stretch of highway saw 48 accidents last year, two more than in 2019, despite 2020 being beset with border restrictions and confinement instructions during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Between Sax and Novelda saw the highest concentration of accidents, with the 24 km (15 miles) section alone having 18 of the 48 accidents recorded.
Fortunately, the number of deaths did not increase, staying at three tragedies.
Other dangerous parts include, such as the Villena junction and the southern section from El Rebolledo to the outskirts of Alicante.
More about the A31
The highway was opened to traffic in 1989, and is well-known for the tight radius of some curves, steep gradients and poor sighting at various junctions.
Most other “first generation highways” have been remodeled, but improving Alicante’s A-31 has been continuously postponed with no current date for works to begin.
Trucks account for 18% of the traffic volume, more than 7,000 using the road every day.
Some 73 km of the road run through Alicante province, only 14 of them are considered not dangerous.
Traffic dropped only 25% during the pandemic, due to transportation of goods being considered essential work.
