Eix Transversal

Highway in Catalonia
Name= Eix Transversal
Signal= C-25
European Route= —
Beginning= Cervera
End= Cassà de la Selva
Length= 141

C-25 or Eix Transversal (English translation: Transverse axis) is a primary highway in Catalonia, Spain. According to the current coding for highways managed by the Generalitat de Catalunya, the first number C-25 indicates that is mainly a west-eastbound highway, and the second number C-25 indicates that is the fifth southernmost. The road begins at the intersection with Autovía A-2, near Cervera ("comarca" of Segarra), and finishes at Cassà de la Selva ("comarca" of Gironès), with a total length of 141 km. The last section of the C-25 to be constructed was finished on December of 1997.

The main aims of the construction of this highway were:

* to provide a high-speed alternative way for road traffic between Northeastern Catalonia (Girona, Figueres, La Jonquera...) and Western Catalonia (Lleida, Cervera...) and Aragón, avoiding the crossing of the usually busy Barcelona's metropolitan region

* to provide a high-speed connection for Central Catalonia's main towns (Vic, Manresa, Ripoll...) between them as well as with Northeastern and the Western Catalonia

* generally speaking, to create an orbital route in what in those days was mainly a radial network with center in the city of Barcelona

Despite these aims, the highway was built as a single-lane road and not as a freeway, and soon it was proved to become insufficient for the traffic supported [ [http://www.elperiodico.cat/default.asp?idpublicacio_PK=46&idioma=CAT&idnoticia_PK=407225&idseccio_PK=1021 Eix Transversal acumulates almost one death per km during its seven-years life] (in Catalan)] .

On 2007 the Generalitat de Catalunya aproved the upgrading of the highway to a freeway, which started on 2008 and is expected to be completed on 2011 [ [http://www.gencat.net/acordsdegovern/20070828/02.htm Agreement inside the Generalitat de Catalunya for the starting of the Eix Transversal's upgrade to freeway] (in Catalan)] .

ee also

*Autovía A-2
*List of primary highways in Catalonia

References