On Tuesday, officials from the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility and the Valencian Conselleria of Infrastructure met to discuss the infrastructure agreement. The session highlighted that the pact carries both potential gains and notable risks for the regional government, signaling a moment of both cooperation and tension as authorities navigate shared and competing priorities.
Following the 103 million request raised by the Vicente Martínez Mus area, Óscar Puente’s team argued the figure hides a half truth and signals poor governance. The ministry described the move as a smoke screen meant to undermine the Government of Spain at a moment of political strain for the Mazón administration. Officials said the tactic relies on distortions and confusion that do not reflect the agreement signed at the outset, framing the maneuver as less about funding and more about political contention.
The agreement signed earlier by the Botànic coalition and Mitma envisioned 34 actions in the province and a similar slate in Valencia and Castellón, totaling 240 million, with the central government contributing two hundred million. The plan aimed to balance regional and national resources to upgrade roads, rail connections, and urban mobility networks, laying out a multi-year program designed to modernize infrastructure and improve regional connectivity.
This summer the autonomous government proposed initial changes that, according to documents provided by the Ministry, would remove 15 million from Alicante to fund new infrastructure projects in Valencia. Yet the Consell characterized the change as a necessary update to prices to reach the original total, without addressing the underlying modifications called for in the proposal.
Final Balance in the Red
According to the ministry’s documentation, the PP administration proposes eliminating fifteen projects and trimming three more, totaling 19.4 million. The cuts mostly affect road improvements, with notable reductions including the Agres underpass priced at 1.1 million and reductions in the TRAM study revisions for connections with Mutxamel and Sant Joan by 2.4 million. The aim appears to streamline the package, but critics view these moves as shrinking the scope of the agreed program and diminishing expected benefits.
Conversely, new items add the electrification of the rail line between La Vila and Benidorm for 5.3 million and update the cost of the Ronda Sudoeste in Villena by 1.2 million. Taken together, the Alicante province ends up losing 11.7 million from the original 117 million planned, reflecting a shift in priorities within the overall budget and a recalibration of project scopes across the region.
A few hours before the technical meeting, the Ministry of Transport expressed dissatisfaction with what it described as attempts to mislead and minimize the reduced execution of the agreement. Specifically, the ministry noted that only 70 of the 200 million had been spent, underscoring the urgency of the situation given the December 31 deadline to justify the works. The Transport Ministry indicated a willingness to sign an addendum that would grant more time to the Generalitat Valenciana to fulfill the commitments, but it warned that there would be little flexibility on the changes being proposed.