The Regional Government has completed the work to improve the Chicharra Greenway platform in the section that runs through the municipality of Cieza. Specifically, clearing work has been carried out along its entire length and improving the platform in a section that covers more than 13 kilometers, beginning in the Los Prados area, north of the town of Cieza, and ending in the Casa del Manchego area, next to the municipality of Jumilla.
Furthermore, the project includes the construction of a new road, over a kilometer long, parallel to the A-30 highway, to restore the continuity of the old railway line that was once occupied by the construction of the highway.
The Ministry of Tourism, Youth, and Sports has set December as the deadline for these renovations to the Chicharra Greenway.
Cristina Sánchez stated that "work will continue in the coming months with the repair of slopes and ditches, the improvement of the existing bike lane in the Los Prados area, and the installation of a 40-meter-long metal pedestrian and bicycle walkway over the Rambla del Judío, utilizing the piles that supported the previous railway bridge."
He also highlighted the planned development of several reception and rest areas, the installation of signage and signage, and the planting of more than 700 trees, including carob, acacia, mulberry, and pine trees.
The budget for the works amounts to approximately 853,000 euros, 80 percent co-financed with ERDF funds and the remaining 20 percent by the Murcia Region Tourism Institute.
New sections of the Chicharra Greenway will be developed in successive phases as the Yecla and Jumilla municipalities obtain availability of the land.
According to Cristina Sánchez, the route of the old train, which covers a total of 71 kilometers in the Region of Murcia and passes through the municipalities of Cieza, Jumilla, and Yecla, will be used to connect the Villena route, in Las Virtudes, with the already renovated section of the Xixarra Green Route in the Valencian Community.
The Chicharra Greenway will thus join the Murcia Region's Greenway Network, which currently spans the entire territory, with more than 150 kilometers, including the Northwest Greenway, the Campo de Cartagena Greenway, the Mazarrón Greenway, and the Almendricos Greenway.
"The expansion of the regional greenway network strengthens the destination's position as a benchmark for sustainable mobility, promoting active tourism that generates employment and local wealth, and a new culture of support for hiking and cycling," the councilor stated.
All of this at a time, he added, "when outdoor tourism and contact with nature are generating more confidence than ever among visitors due to the greater sense of security that these types of activities offer in the face of the coronavirus."
Source: CARM.
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