Arco Noroeste slashes traffic near Archena

Óscar Puente opened the final stretch of Murcia’s Arco Noroeste on March 23, completing a new highway corridor between the A-30 near Archena and the A-7 at Alcantarilla. The route had been partially open since July 11, 2025, when the first 14.1 kilometers entered service. By May 14, traffic officials said the new link had already cut flows by 60% on the MU-32 toward Murcia and by 15% to 25% on the A-7 through the metropolitan area. Carla Tomás, director of the Levante traffic management center, presented those figures at the XI Mobility and Road Safety conference hosted by UCAM, the Catholic University of Murcia. ### Where does the new road actually run? The Arco Noroeste connects the A-30 at kilometer 119 in Archena with the A-7 in Alcantarilla over a total route of 21.7 kilometers, according to Spain’s Transport Ministry. The first two sections, known as tramos A and B, cover 14.1 kilometers through Archena, Lorquí, Villanueva del Río Segura, Ceutí, Alguazas and Las Torres de Cotillas. The final section completed the link to Alcantarilla and the wider corridor toward Puerto de la Cadena. (murciaplaza.com) March 23 was the date the last pending section opened to traffic, Murcia Plaza reported from the inauguration attended by Puente. The ministry had previously described the project as a bypass designed to channel long-distance traffic away from Murcia’s busiest ring roads and junctions. ### Why did traffic near Archena fall so sharply? (transportes.gob.es) Carla Tomás said on May 14 that the steepest change showed up on the MU-32, the Archena-Espinardo route, where traffic toward Murcia fell 60% after the Arco Noroeste opened. She also said traffic on the A-7 in Murcia’s metropolitan area dropped between 15% and 25% in both directions. Those figures were reported by Murcia Plaza, citing her remarks at the UCAM event. (murciaplaza.com) The Transport Ministry had forecast that the bypass would pull through-traffic off the A-30 and the Espinardo junction by offering a direct alternative for vehicles traveling between Andalusia, Cartagena, Valencia and Albacete. The ministry said the corridor, together with the MU-30 and MU-31, would function as a bypass from Archena to Puerto de la Cadena. (murciaplaza.com) ### Which bottlenecks was the project built to relieve? The Espinardo junction and Murcia’s western ring road were central targets of the project from the start. The Transport Ministry said the A-30 through Murcia carries some of the highest traffic volumes on the state road network in the region, with average daily traffic above 100,000 vehicles on the Ronda Oeste section. Murcia Plaza reported in March, citing ministry figures, that the Espinardo node handled as many as 125,000 vehicles a day. (transportes.gob.es) March reporting on the opening of the final section said the completed road could remove up to 27,000 vehicles a day from the Espinardo junction, including about 5,000 heavy vehicles. The same report said that would cut heavy-vehicle traffic in the area by 34%. ### Who is saying what the road changes for drivers? (transportes.gob.es) Carla Tomás said the lower traffic counts mean fewer hours spent stopped or delayed on the road for people trying to reach their destinations. José Antonio Verdú, Murcia’s director general for mobility and transport, said at the same UCAM conference that the regional government does not want private cars to be the only answer and is trying to make public transport “efficient, reliable and competitive in times,” according to UCAM and the regional government. (murciaplaza.com) Óscar Puente said when the first sections opened in July 2025 that the Arco Noroeste would not only ease congestion around Murcia but also support surrounding towns and industrial areas. That assessment came from the minister at the launch event for the first two sections. ### What comes next after the first traffic data? On May 14, Murcia’s regional government said it is preparing a metropolitan transport plan for Murcia and its surrounding area. (murciaplaza.com) Verdú said the plan is intended to improve connections between municipalities and strengthen public transport. The next measurable milestone is likely to be additional traffic data from the DGT and regional authorities as the road completes its first full year in service after the March 23 opening of the last section. (transportes.gob.es) The ministry has already published the road’s technical record for the first two sections, and the regional government and UCAM continue to use the project as a case study in mobility planning. (transportes.gob.es) (carm.es)