Summary of Alicante Infrastructure Awards and Key Projects
The Alicante State Public Works Federation selects from ten submitted projects, marking the XVI edition of an event interrupted by the covid pandemic. A total budget of 40 million euros supported the ten works completed in the previous year.
Significant portions of investment target new access routes, accounting for half of the total funding. Projects include the Alicante-Elche airport expansion, the urbanization surrounding the site, and the creation of the Alicante City of Justice. Other major undertakings are the Camilo Cano Sports City in La Nucia, new offices and buildings in the Elche Industrial Park, the Elda hospital reform, the Rabasa neighborhood redevelopment in Alicante, the reform of the Hondón de las Nieves Town Hall, a building in the Elche Industrial Zone, forty-two social rental homes in Aspe, the Julián López fabric store, and the reorganization of Dad Esplaboth Street in Alicante, along with enhancements to the environmental department.
Urbanization plans around the Alicante City of Justice square are highlighted as a key feature.
The FOPA jury is expected to declare the winning project next week. Given its scale and the relief it provides for traffic entering and leaving the airport, which served 8.5 million passengers through August, the leading candidate points to the new airport access project. This includes a study by the Ministry of Transport on a major action in national infrastructure over nearly a decade, featuring the duplication of the N-338 highway with a total length of 4.7 kilometers and four intersections.
The route begins at the junction with the N-332 and ends at the Alicante ring road. Traffic concerns were prominent, since the road in service had four junctions and an average daily traffic of 34,000 vehicles. The study shows 26 different traffic routings, with some plans requiring up to six implementation stages. No incidents or detentions occurred during the study.
Another important project focuses on upgrading Elda Hospital. The modernization includes a significant interior renovation across multiple departments, with a particular emphasis on the third floor, the existing ICU, and Hemodialysis services. The UCI restructuring involves consolidating all patient care units into a central control hub to optimize resources and staff. The redesign will substantially expand facilities, with additional space added to the corridor to accommodate family visits.
A new endoscopy unit will be established within one of the expanded rooms, offering multipurpose functionality and improving conditions for pacemaker insertions. The administrative area was also integrated to enhance overall service efficiency.
In Aspe, all coatings and installations were renewed to meet modern needs. The digestive area was completely remodeled to host two endoscopic chambers, a third pleural chamber, and a digestive endoscopy unit with an additional line for broader interventions. The unit includes a recovery room, a washing area, a reporting room, storage spaces, restrooms for patients and staff, as well as a small administrative and waiting area for families.
The Best Business award seeks to recognize institutions and organizations that drive a project forward, while also acknowledging the contractor’s technical excellence. The award emphasizes economic, urban, and social impact within the province or region, especially when construction is large-scale and complex.
Finally, the jury for this edition includes leaders from FOPA, the civil engineering and harbors association, the College of Architects, the College of Civil Engineers, and high-ranking figures from Alicante’s business, academic, and public sectors. The panel draws on representatives from the Alicante Chamber of Commerce, CEV Alicante, UEPAL, the Polytechnic School of the University of Alicante, and the universities of Alicante and Miguel Hernández, together with regional councils and government offices in Alicante and Elche. The group also includes representatives from the Generalitat Valenciana, the Port Authority, media, sponsors, and distinguished professionals in fields of humanities, engineering, and architecture.