The Vía Verde de Segura will add almost 27 new kilometres between Arroyo del Ojanco and Villanueva del Arzobispo
Topics Baeza Villanueva del Arzobispo
Work on the new section, almost 27 kilometres along the old Baeza-Utiel railway line, is already more than 50% complete and is funded with more than 4.6 million euros from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
The Camino Natural Vía Verde de Segura will have a new section of about 27 kilometres between Arroyo del Ojanco and Villanueva del Arzobispo, on the old railway route of the Baeza-Utiel line. Once it opens, the itinerary will reach 54 kilometres for walkers and cyclists, according to the Diputación de Jaén.
Where it runs
The new section crosses the municipal areas of Arroyo del Ojanco, Beas de Segura, Sorihuela del Guadalimar and Villanueva del Arzobispo, and will become part of the Gran Corredor Verde of the province of Jaén. The works are being carried out through Tragsa and adapt these almost 27 kilometres to the parameters of Spain's Caminos Naturales programme, with the aim that they can be used for cycling and hiking.
What is being done
The work consists of improving the surface, building slope support and retention elements and refurbishing seven viaducts of the old railway line. Twelve tunnels are also being refurbished, and will be fitted with lighting and information signs, and rest areas and three new metal footbridges for pedestrian and cyclist use will be added: two over the N-322 road and a third over the A-3601.
A 74-kilometre route
The project has a budget of more than 4.6 million euros, funded by the Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación. The project is more than 50% complete. The 54 kilometres of the Vía Verde de Segura will join another 20 already recovered in the province of Albacete, which form the Camino Natural Vía Verde de la Sierra de Alcaraz and also belong to the old Baeza-Utiel route, so that walkers and cyclists will have a continuous 74-kilometre route between the two provinces.
The visit to the works
The deputy for Agriculture, Livestock, Environment and Climate Change, Isabel Uceda, took part alongside the government subdelegate, Manuel Fernández, the mayor of Beas de Segura, José Alberto Rodríguez, and the mayor of Génave, Jaime Aguilera, in a technical visit to the works. Uceda said that the project "is aimed at bringing this greenway into use, which will help the municipalities it crosses to diversify their tourism offer". The government subdelegate highlighted the technical complexity of rehabilitating this section of the Baeza-Utiel line, halted in 1963.
