The president of the Consell de Mallorca, Llorenç Galmés, visited Crestatx last week to present a new project that will improve the safety and ensure a link along the route from Sa Pobla – Crestatx. The works will include the construction of a roundabout at the entrance to Crestatx – outside the Mallorca International School and the church opposite – and a pedestrian walkway that will connect the municipality with the developments of Crestatx, s’Obac and Son Toni, passing over the motorway and the Sant Miquel torrent.
The project, which has a budget of €2.7m, will mean a significant transformation of the Sa Pobla-Crestatx area, as it will improve road safety and promote the use of sustainable means of transport. The works, which will undertake landscaping and sustainability measures, will last about 10 months and could begin before the summer.
This is great news, particularly for the International School that is located on the Pollensa road junction. School Principal Lowri Millar told TOTN, “As a school we could not be happier with this result after years of campaigning. Our students and communities safety is paramount. We would like to thank the local authorities for making this happen.”
Galmés accompanied by the mayor of sa Pobla, Biel Ferragut; the Minister for Territory, Mobility and Infrastructure, Fernando Rubio, and the island director of Infrastructure, Rafel Gelabert stated that “before this summer we hope to be able to start the works that have been expected and demanded by the residents of Sa Pobla, as well as the Crestatx, s’Obac and Son Toni developments. We connect these centres with Sa Pobla, through the pedestrian road, and we improve the safety of an area where, since the 1960s, no important actions have been carried out. This is the policy that we want to promote in the Consell de Mallorca: to launch projects to improve the quality of life of citizens, while in the last legislature they looked the other way and the policies regarding road improvements were non-existent.”
The President recalled that this project is included in the Civic Road Plan promoted by the Consell, with more than 60km and an investment of €45m.
The Works in Detail
The T-intersection on the Pollensa road will be replaced with a roundabout that will facilitate traffic into Crestatx, towards the hermitage and the housing estates and, above all, will improve the safety of students and pedestrians in general who have to cross the road.
The project also includes improving the road surface, installing a new drainage system and lighting with LED lights, which comply with sustainability criteria and current regulations.
The construction of a 2.5-kilometre walkway, intended for pedestrians and cyclists, will connect the centre of sa Pobla with the urbanisations of Crestatx, s’Obac and Son Toni. The infrastructure includes wooden walkways over the Sant Miquel torrent, as well as retaining walls in areas with uneven ground. Ecological materials and native species will be used in the design of the pavement and vegetation, which will ensure integration with the rural environment.
The project places special emphasis on environmental sustainability, with the reuse of existing materials and energy efficiency criteria. In addition, mixed steel and wood barriers will be installed, as well as adapted signage to improve road safety and prevent accidents.