Autovía A-22
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| Autovía Huesca-Lleida | |
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| Route information | |
| Length: | 110 km (70 mi) |
| Major junctions | |
| From: | Huesca |
| To: | Lleida |
| Highway system | |
| Autopistas and autovías in Spain | |
Autovía A-22 or Autovía Huesca-Lleida is an upgrade of a section of the existing N-240 Spanish road, managed by the Spanish Government, between Huesca, the second largest city in Aragón and Lleida, a provincial capital in Catalonia. The route is currently under construction with most sections now open to traffic.
The A-22 runs mainly in parallel to the existing N-240 road except for certain specific stretches such as the Monzón bypass which opened in 2008, and the Barbastro bypass where alternative routes have been employed. The construction has been divided into the following sectors, Huesca-Siétamo, Siétamo-Velillas, Velillas-Ponzano, Ponzano-El Pueyo, Barbastro Bypass, Monzón Bypass, Binéfar Bypass, Binéfar Bypass-Aragón/Catalonia border, Aragón/Catalonia border-Almacelles Bypass, Almacelles Bypass-La Cerdera, La Cerdera-Junction with A-2 Motorway at the edge of Lleida [1].
By the summer of 2010 more than half of the A-22 was operational as a four-lane highway comprising 6 of the above sectors. However, in July 2010 a cessation of work due to governmental financial difficulties was announced, despite the Binefar Bypass section being 80% complete. This decision provoked much controversy with local government officials calling for the work to be resumed, citing the dangers associated with the current unfinished road layout [2]. Fortunately work was restarted and by October 2011 all but two sectors were fully open. The two remaining sectors to be completed are the Almacelles Bypass (up to the Catalonia / Aragon border), which is at an advanced stage of construction and expected to open in early 2012 and the Huesca - Sietamo sector which is not currently under construction. Once the 9.8km Almacelles Bypass sector is completed the A-22 will run for an uninterrupted length of around 99km but the schedule for completing the last 13km to Huesca is unclear.
When open in full the A-22 will provide far more satisfactory communication between Huesca and Lleida and intermediate towns than previously offered by the N-240, but also a direct four-lane highway connection between Huesca and Barcelona, a journey which previously required a long and time-consuming diversion via Zaragoza if motorway standard roads were used. The A-22 will provide access to existing highways serving Jaca (Aragón) and Pamplona (Navarra) which are also undergoing the process of upgrading.
The improvements in road communication between Lleida and the province of Huesca are occurring in parallel to developments on the railways in the Lleida area, where a new network of commuter trains (Cercanias) is under consideration. This may include a regular commuter service connecting Lleida, Almacelles, Binéfar, Monzón [3] - all of which are communities served by the N-240 and A-22.
List of major towns connected by the existing N-240 and the A-22, includes Lleida, Almacelles, Binéfar, Monzón, Barbastro and Huesca.
References
1. http://www.urbanity.es/foro/infraestructuras/14291-22-autovia-lleida-huesca.html (Information in Spanish on the progress in construction of the A-22)
2. http://www.finanzas.com/noticias/vivienda/2010-07-30/324550_ayuntamiento-binefar-insta-fomento-reanudar.html [Article in Spanish on the controversy surrounding the withdrawal of funds for construction in the Binefar area].
3. http://www.radiohuesca.com/hemeroteca/Noticia.aspx?codigo=453421 (Article in Spanish on the proposal to extend the Lleida Cercanias to Monzón, Aragón)
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