Ponferrada City Council has demanded urgent repairs from the León Provincial Council on the deteriorating Morredero mountain road after a series of vehicle accidents and serious falls involving cyclists.
Iván Alonso, Ponferrada's deputy mayor and councillor for rural affairs, issued the call alongside Begoña Magdalena, the local parish mayor of the village of San Cristóbal de Valdueza. Both officials asked the provincial authority to take immediate action to repair the road surface, upgrade signage, and protect drivers and cyclists during the autumn and winter months.
The municipality in the El Bierzo region of north-western Spain made the request while a broader administrative process for a complete overhaul of the route remains unfinished. Local representatives said users of the road cannot wait for the final contract procedure to conclude while severe safety hazards remain in place.
Accidents and poor visibility on the Morredero road
Worsening autumn weather and the arrival of the season's first fogs have highlighted the poor condition of the mountain route. Paint marking the central line of the road has worn away and is no longer visible across many stretches, leaving motorists without clear visual guidance in dark, rainy, or foggy conditions.
Those road conditions have already contributed to several traffic accidents, including crashes recorded on the Saturday before the council's announcement. Alonso said potholes and broken asphalt have also caused multiple incidents involving cyclists, some of whom suffered serious falls on the damaged surface.
Shorter daylight hours coupled with rain and heavy mist make driving and riding more hazardous during the late autumn and winter period. City officials said addressing the worst stretches immediately is essential to prevent further injuries while weather conditions continue to deteriorate.
Delays to the full renovation project
Alonso noted that Ponferrada City Council had already reported the road defects to the León Provincial Council on numerous occasions. He said the municipality could no longer wait for the contract award for the full renovation project, which he stated had accumulated delays while safety problems persisted on the ground.
To bridge the gap until the permanent reconstruction begins, the city council demanded immediate provisional maintenance on the most damaged sections of the Morredero road. Alonso specified three priority measures required from the provincial administration: improving road signage with particular focus on repainting the central line, replacing safety barriers wherever needed, and patching the road surface.
Provincial road maintenance in the Montes de León
Ponferrada is the largest urban centre in the El Bierzo area of León province, within the autonomous community of Castile and León. Under Spain's local administration system, provincial councils such as the Diputación de León oversee the upkeep and safety of the secondary road network linking rural villages and mountain passes.
San Cristóbal de Valdueza is a rural settlement belonging to the municipality of Ponferrada and sits along the ascent toward the Alto del Morredero pass in the Montes de León range. As a minor local entity within the municipality, the village is represented by an elected parish mayor who raises local infrastructure issues with city and provincial authorities.
The Morredero climb is a well-known mountain road in north-western Spain that rises sharply from the valley around Ponferrada into the surrounding peaks. In addition to serving local residents, the route attracts large numbers of recreational cyclists and has featured as a mountain stage finish in major cycling races such as the Vuelta a España.
Ponferrada officials stressed that short-term maintenance and safety upgrades are an immediate priority to protect both daily motorists and the many amateur cyclists who travel along the mountain road while the provincial council completes the administrative steps for the full renovation.
