Major landslide on Ronda - San Pedro road will force around 7,500 drivers a day to double their journey time

Cristina Pinto

Malaga

Monday, 10 March 2025, 11:43

Storm Jana might have increased water reserves across Malaga province, but it has also caused some major problems on the roads. Due to a rockslide on the A-397, the main road which connects Ronda with the Costa del Sol, on Saturday the road will likley remain closed for several months while the Junta de Andalucía's public works and transport department (Fomento) fortifies the terrain and ensures safety. The only alternatives for people to travel between the two towns will be the Gaucín and Manilva or Ardales and Coín connections. However, this means that drivers will have to travel nearly twice as long - nearly two hours - to get to their destination.

The rockslide occurred at the Los Madroños pass around midday on Saturday, when the rocks fell, covering the entire road and causing damage to a span of the viaduct. The closure is in the municipality of Benahavís between kilometres 13, Parauta and 38.3. Junta's experts stated that, "as the landslide has occurred right in the mid-slope area, where the road runs on a viaduct, it is technically impossible to make a provisional detour as has been done in other cases".

Traffic will only be restored fully once the road has been repaired. The current continuous rainfall does not allow the removal of the rocks yet, which means that road work will have to wait as well. Experts have explained that the task is complex, because that part of the road first needs to be demolished before it can be rebuilt. "But there is the added factor that the slope, which is over 200 metres high, has been badly affected and also needs to be stabilised to make it safe to pass through again. The total duration of the work will be several months (...) we will keep you informed," said Fomento.

The current situation affects around 7,500 motorists inclucing commuting workers, hauliers and tourists who use the A-397 every day Traffic flow on this road ranges from 4,400 vehicles per day at the Ronda exit to 9,700 upon arrival in San Pedro Alcántara. As the cut section is from Benahavís to the Igualeja junction with the MA-7304, average daily traffic exceeds 7,000 vehicles.

Regional minister for development Rocío Díaz has stated that the Junta has deployed "a specialist team" to work "with drones to evaluate the upper part of the mountain and to analyse the state of the slope in detail in order to act as quickly as possible".

According to Carolina España, regional minister for economy, finance and European funds, technicians are already implementing an emergency plan in the area. In addition, she highlighted the high incident rate caused by the storm in Andalucía, especially in Malaga province, which has registered around 145 emergency calls.

The rain is not expected to stop over the next few days. Fomento has said that workers will be on alert "to deal with any risk situation". In addition, the regional ministry has asked that drivers maintain the maximum level of caution.