The clayey soil on which a large part of the Ferreries bypass will be constructed and possible drainage problems in those areas once the autumn rains start has obliged the constructor to start work in three areas in the very near future and a plan to this effect was presented to the Island Council last week, anticipating that work on three different sections of the stretch will begin during August or September. The Ferreries bypass will branch off the Me-1 at km. 26 and rejoin the main road at km. 30 and will be 4,806 metres long, 252 metres of which will pass through a tunnel. The completion time for the 24.7 million euro project is 18 months.
The first stage, to be started at the beginning of August, will be in the area of the future Sant Patrici junction where a 90-metre roundabout will allow vehicles travelling from Ferreries to turn off for Sant Patrici and vice versa, as well as enabling traffic on the main road to turn off for either of these places. The early stages of the work will consist of clearing and levelling the land for the later construction of the roundabout and sections of bypass leading to and from it.
A few weeks later the constructor, a temporary union of two companies - Ferrovial and Concesiones y Contratas Illes Balears, will start on the section where vehicles will head for Ferreries from Es Pla Verd. This work could affect traffic on the main road as lorries will be joining and leaving the traffic flow. Here banking will be constructed, the base of which will have to be 1.5 metres wide before the autumn rains arrive. This section of road, between Es Pla Verd and the Cala Galdana roundabout will eventually be wider than at present, with a third lane for slow-moving vehicles, as will be the stretch between the Sant Patrici and Cala Galdana roundabouts which will pass through the tunnel.
The third stage will be at km. 26, the start of the bypass. Here there will be a flyover, the lower section of which will allow vehicles access to the industrial estate. From here the road will continue until the junction where the new Sant Patrici roundabout will be constructed. The work will start at the end of September, the end of the tourist high season when traffic should be lighter.
Excavation work for the tunnel will start in the first half of September, this being on the section linking the Sant Patrici and Cala Galdana junctions. Initially, excavating machines will be employed but, once permission is received, explosives will be used to widen the tunnel to 15 metres with a maximum height of 9 metres. There will be three lanes in this stretch, two in the direction of Ciutadella and one heading for Maó.
Simultaneously, the 90-metre diameter Cala Galdana roundabout will be constructed with six exits; to Maó, Ciutadella, Ferreries, Cala Galdana, s'Enclusa and Barranc d'Algendar. According to the Transport Councillor, Damià Borràs, this junction should be completed before the start of the next tourist season, weather permitting.