- The Mayor and the President of the Almería Port Authority visit the works of the new light signal.
The Mojácar lighthouse, which will replace the one in Garrucha, is expected to start emitting signals next summer. Rosa María Cano, mayor of the Almería Levante area locality, and Jesús Caicedo, president of the Almería Port Authority (APA), paid a visit to the new light signal works.
The works are being carried out by Transformaciones y Embalses Parra, and according to the business group president, Jerónimo Parra, they are progressing well. Following the digging works and the adaptation of the access road, and the concreting of the foundations and the main contention wall, the structure of the building is currently being finalised, and in the next few days the dome on which the lamp will be installed will be put in place.
The Mojácar lighthouse is being built on the highest point of the municipality, 150 metres above sea level on the north side of the Cerro del Moro Manco hill on a 250 square metre plot given by the local authority. As well as the lighthouse, the project includes the construction of an operations hut and the acquisition of the equipment, and the adaption of the access road.
In addition, the project includes the beautification of the location, with the creation of a viewpoint and landscaping the surroundings. The action, with an investment of 280,000 euros (including VAT), is being carried out by the APA through the Inter-port Compensation Fund, approved by State Ports.
Mojácar Mayor, Rosa María Cano, expressed her satisfaction at the relocation of the lighthouse to the locality, in a privileged location which will be improved with gardens and a viewpoint.
Jesús Caicedo thanked the Mayor for Mojácar local authority’s collaboration and highlighted the importance of the new lighthouse which “will improve the safety of navigation on Almería province’s Levante coast, and will contribute to spreading the name of Mojácar as the municipality will appear on all navigation charts.”
Once the new lighthouse starts to operate the Garrucha lighthouse will cease to function. The Garrucha lighthouse is a light signal which does not, due to its location in the actual town, surrounded by buildings, perform its function of helping maritime navigation in the best way. The area of action for the Mojácar lighthouse will extend from Playa Macenas to Águilas in Murcia Region.
For their visit to the works the Mayor and Jesús Caicedo were accompanied by the APA director, Juan Manuel Reyes; Planning director, Antonio Bayo; the head of the APA Projects and Works division, César Andújar; Alfonso Montilla, head of Marquit and project architect and works execution manager; Jesús Parra Pastor, head of Transformaciones y Embalses Parra; and by Antonio Zea and Mario Sanz, the APA Navigation Assistance System manager and technician respectively.
Due to the need for ‘dayboard’, that is, that the lighthouse has to be visible from the sea during the day as well, a compact volume has been designed which will house the lighthouse lantern and the auxiliary areas in such a way that the complex has greater structural presence. The lighthouse lantern will stand out in the highest part of the complex, the base of which will house the building’s ancilliary areas: office, toilet and battery room.
In regard to the design, the aim has been for maximum integration with the environment. The lighthouse will be a singular building, white, with a Mediterranean look, which is in line with the existing architecture, especially in Mojacar village centre. The area surrounding where the lighthouse is being constructed is mainly one of family homes of various styles and forms, but which seen as a whole, form a white mass of Mediterranean architecture with defined spaces on a white background.
