Spanish government hands over section of N-340 road to Vélez-Málaga

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In recent years there have been numerous accidents on the coastal stretch in the Almayate and Valle-Niza area, some of them fatal, which has led to repeated demands from local residents for improvements

Eugenio Cabezas

Wednesday, 4 March 2026, 12:08

Spain's Ministry of Transport has formalised the transfer to Vélez-Málaga town hall of a section of the old N-340A between Benajarafe and Almayate on the eastern Costa del Sol. The transfer, which has been effective since 6 February following the signing of the corresponding document, affects 6.6 kilometres of road.

The agreement means that Vélez-Málaga town hall now assumes full ownership of the section between kilometres 262.7 and 269.3. From now on, it will be responsible for its conservation and maintenance, according to a statement issued by the department headed by Minister Óscar Puente.

The section in question is particularly sensitive from a road safety point of view. The old N-340 is the coastal strip between Rincón de la Victoria and Nerja and in recent years there have been numerous accidents in the Almayate and Valle-Niza area, some of them fatal, which has led to repeated demands from local residents for improvements.

As detailed by the Ministry in its statement, the operation has been carried out under Law 37/2015 on roads and the general road regulations, which regulate this type of transfer when a section loses its functionality as a state road and acquires an urban character.

Improved traffic safety and management

Vélez-Málaga town hall has argued that the transfer will allow for greater flexibility in terms of traffic safety and management. Among the planned interventions are speed bumps, new signage, pedestrian crossings and improvements to accesses to residential areas, measures that until now depended on state authorisation.

The takeover of this section also paves the way for a gradual transformation of the road into a more urban thoroughfare, in line with the residential and tourist growth in the area. In recent decades, the Vélez coastline has undergone continuous development around this road, which in many places already functions more as a large coastal avenue than a conventional road, such as where it passes through Benajarafe and Chilches.

With this transfer, the municipality is moving towards the full integration of the former N-340 into its local road network, consolidating the direct management of a strategic axis for transport on the Axarquía coast. The action is part of a broader policy of redefining former state roads which, following the construction of parallel motorways, have been absorbed by urban growth in Málaga.

The transfer of ownership will allow the Vélez Town Council to intervene directly on nearly 6,600 metres of road, with the immediate implementation of measures focused on road safety, including the construction of four pedestrian crossings.