Residents of Lomas de Cabo Roig in Orihuela Costa are voicing their frustration as the plans for a long-awaited pedestrian footbridge over the AP-7 motorway have not yet been awarded, nearly six months after the deadline for public tender. The footbridge was first promised by the developer back in two thousand four as a condition of the licence to build the urbanisation. Since then, the situation has been dire as pedestrians are forced to navigate an unsafe road bridge that lacks pavement and street lighting.

Despite the developer having set aside a mandatory bank guarantee as protection against non-compliance, the Orihuela Town Hall only filed a claim for this fund in two thousand twenty-two. The matter remains unresolved and has yet to be brought to court. Moreover, in a contradictory move, the current council has highlighted the footbridge as a key project for the area, assigning one million three hundred and seventy thousand euros in this year’s budget while failing to advance the planning phase.

The residents’ association Unidos por la Costa has expressed concern that by the time plans are finalised and approved by the national roads department, the contract for construction bid may be awarded, and the actual building of the bridge could still be several years away. Many fear that this project may not come to fruition until the middle of two thousand and twenty-seven.

As the community continues to live with the consequences of broken promises, the sentiment among residents is one of disillusionment and impatience. They are calling for urgent action from the authorities to ensure their safety and resolve this long-standing issue, which has been neglected for far too long.