Nobody was expecting the central government to include multi-million euro sums to launch new projects in its budget for 2011. In fact the amounts announced last week in Madrid reflect the current air of austerity and allow for the completion or continuation of works that have already been started and little more.
In total the province of Malaga is to receive 750 million euros from the central government in 2011, 30 per cent less than this year’s budget (1.062 billion euros). The positive news is that other provinces have seen greater cuts in spending from one year to the next and that the amount per inhabitant in Malaga works out above the national average.
Around 80 per cent of the funds for Malaga next year come from the Ministry of Development, and this total of 608 million is more or less the same as the amount set aside for this year. Works to improve public transport feature highly on the Ministry’s priority list with nearly 400 million set aside for rail and air infrastructure. In fact 2011 will see a record investment in the province’s rail network with 198 million euros budgeted for the high speed AVE train line between Antequera and Granada. In total the two provinces share 414 million euros for the AVE project.
Meanwhile Aena will have 116.2 million euros with which to complete the second runway at Malaga Airport. Work is already making good progress and a date has even been set for the opening: November 2011.
As far as roads are concerned some 42.35 million euros have been earmarked for the Malaga outer ring road. Most of this will be spent on stretches 1 and 2 of the new road which include the complex Churriana tunnel and the Guadalhorce viaduct. Stretches 3 and 4 are almost ready to open.
The water desalination plant planned for Mijas has once again been included in the budget with a sum of 30 million euros. While funds had been reserved for the project in previous budgets work has still not started on this key facility to help the area cope with water shortages in drought periods. Funds have also been set aside to adapt the sewage treatment plants in Malaga and on the Costa del Sol so that they can produce recycled water for irrigation.
Good news for the western Costa del Sol is that some 10.4 million euros have been reserved to guarantee the completion of the San Pedro underpass next year. Work, which had been stopped due to disagreements between the central government and the firm OHL, is already 80 per cent complete.
Another 30 million euros goes towards the construction of the new prison in Archidona while the southern access road to the airport and the future Fine Arts museum in Malaga have also been included.
Source: Sur in English

















