The Generalitat de Catalunya, the Diputación de Lleida, and the municipalities of Les Garrigues Altes have signed an agreement to renew several road axes in the region with an investment of 18.4 million euros. The agreement includes the improvement of the C-233 between La Granadella and El Soleràs, the road between Bellaguarda and Els Torms, and the future Eix Transversal de Ponent between Torrebesses and Castelldans.
The pact comes with a unique distribution of responsibilities. While the Generalitat will finance 75% of the investment and the Diputación 25%, not all roads will remain under the same ownership once the works are completed, despite the common goal being to resolve a historical mobility demand in this part of Les Garrigues.
The C-233 will be renewed in 2027 and the Eix Transversal de Ponent should be operational in 2028
The most immediate action planned in the agreement is the renewal of the C-233 between La Granadella and El Soleràs, along with the improvement of the road connecting Bellaguarda and Els Torms. Both works are scheduled for 2027.
One year later, the Eix Transversal de Ponent, which will convert the paths connecting Torrebesses and Castelldans into a road, should become operational. The mayors of the affected municipalities signed the necessary agreements to transfer these paths to the Generalitat de Catalunya and also to facilitate actions on the municipal road between Bellaguarda and Els Torms.
During the signing at the Government delegation in Lleida, Sílvia Paneque, Minister of Territory, argued that the administrations are pooling investments to strengthen Les Garrigues Altes. The minister added that the project would not have been possible without the contribution of the mayors, to whom she attributed a shared vision beyond each municipal district.
"The project would not have been possible without the effort and contribution of the mayors, who have thought of the common good beyond their own municipalities" - Sílvia Paneque, Minister of Territory, Generalitat de Catalunya
The ownership of the roads will change after the works, and Bellaguarda will retain its own
The agreement also specifies which administration will assume responsibility for each infrastructure once the work is completed. The transformed paths of the Eix de Ponent will become the property of the Generalitat de Catalunya.
Instead, the renovated section of the C-233 will be handed over to the Provincial Council. The road between Bellaguarda and Els Torms will remain under municipal ownership, although the Provincial Council will assume its maintenance for five years.
Joan Talarn, president of the Provincial Council of Lleida, emphasized the cooperation between administrations to improve mobility in the region and recalled that the demand has been ongoing for a long time. The operation will mobilize 18.4 million euros to act on three road connections in an area with several small and dispersed municipalities.
In addition to the agreed-upon works, Torrebesses and Castelldans are requesting bypasses in their urban centers. This request is joined by the Ministry of Transport's project to enable access to the AP-2 in Castelldans, while the Department of Territory is collaborating on the design of a bypass for the C-233 to avoid passing through the town.