The A-32 highway, conceived to connect Linares and Albacete and improve communications with the Levante region, remains far from completion today, despite construction starting 30 years ago. Of the total 224 kilometers planned, only 88 are currently in service.
The last section inaugurated was Villacarrillo-Villanueva del Arzobispo in December 2022. Despite political promises and successive national governments classifying it as a key infrastructure, the execution pace suggests the road might be completed around the year 2060.
In Jaén, the Ministry of Transport provisionally approved in February 2026 the route projects for the Villanueva del Arzobispo-Beas de Segura and Beas de Segura-Arroyo del Ojanco sections, totaling 20.5 kilometers and an estimated investment of 278.85 million euros. However, there is still no news regarding the tender for these works.
Meanwhile, in Albacete, works on the Enlace con la CM-313-Balazote Oeste section, approximately 16.8 kilometers long, began on January 15, 2024. The processing of the Linares-Albacete informative study formally started in March 2001, although the construction of the first section had already begun in 1996.
The history of the A-32 has been marked by complex environmental procedures, including studies on its impact on Natura 2000 and the Iberian lynx, with a favorable Environmental Impact Declaration in 2006. The approval of the informative study allowed progress with independent projects, but the economic crisis of subsequent years led to significant delays.
Despite openings such as the Ibros-Úbeda section in 2012 and Linares-Ibros in 2015, the infrastructure has advanced at different paces. In 2018, the Albacete portion was included in an investment plan, contemplating 90.5 kilometers and 692 million euros, but without large immediate tenders.
In Jaén, the Úbeda-Torreperogil section was inaugurated in 2019, Torreperogil-Villacarrillo in September 2022, and Villacarrillo-Villanueva del Arzobispo in December 2022. The then Minister of Transport, Raquel Sánchez, announced at the time that work was underway on six other sections totaling 94 kilometers and over 600 million euros.
The promise to tender the sections between Villanueva del Arzobispo and Arroyo del Ojanco by the end of 2023 was not fulfilled. These projects, drafted years ago, have required updates due to the delay in administrative procedures, increasing costs. Works on the Enlace con la CM-313-Balazote Oeste section in Albacete began in January 2024 and have not yet been inaugurated.
The current situation is far from the initial vision from 1996. Although the A-32 has transformed part of the corridor between Bailén and Villanueva del Arzobispo, it is still far from fulfilling its purpose of enhancing the logistical and tourist potential of the province of Jaén.
