Campos upgrades Jaume II — two roundabouts, 30 new trees and many questions

Campos upgrades Jaume II — two roundabouts, 30 new trees and many questions

€1.3 million will be spent on redesigning the bypass. Improvements are planned — but what will everyday life and maintenance look like afterwards?

In Campos the excavator started work this week: Jaume II, the road that serves as a bypass directing southeast traffic around the village, will be rebuilt in the coming months. The project is budgeted at €1.3 million and is co-financed by the consortium for tourist accommodation. Planned works include asphalt resurfacing, new curbs and sidewalks, burying exposed power lines, new signage, pedestrian crossings, paving in parking areas, greening of the planting beds and the planting of 30 trees. Two roundabouts are also to be constructed — at the Jaume II/Es Tren junction and at Ronda Estación/Avenida Nicolau. Everything is scheduled to be completed in September this year, and these local measures are similar to roundabout expansion projects in Palma.

The councilor responsible for public works, Manolo Vara, calls the project "ambitious and necessary" and sees "a major improvement" for the village. That sounds good, and anyone standing at the café near the Rambla in the morning can already hear the clatter of machines, smell the damp asphalt and watch delivery vans weaving around the site barriers.

Key question: Will what is being built now actually benefit Campos in the long term? The answer is not only technical. It depends on traffic figures, maintenance plans and realistic coordination with local businesses. While the measures make visual and functional sense — wide sidewalks, underground utilities, crossings for pedestrians — important points remain underexposed in the public discussion.

Critical analysis: Financing by a tourism consortium raises a question of priorities, a concern mirrored in Millions for Mallorca's Roads: Many Construction Sites, Few Guarantees. Investments in bypasses may smooth tourist traffic flows, but they also strengthen infrastructure for through-traffic. Who decides on the trees and which species will be planted? Are the newly laid cables prepared for future expansion or just the bare minimum? And finally: How will the construction phase be organized concretely so that suppliers, customers and residents are not left stuck in traffic for days or lose parking spaces?

What is missing from the public discourse: concrete maintenance and irrigation plans for the 30 trees, as highlighted by Roadworks at Cala Llombards: Three kilometres, many improvements. On Mallorca planting is only the first step; without a watering schedule and protection from the scorching summer heat, young trees are often lost. Also little discussed are questions of noise protection and dust control during the works, as well as a coordinated plan for replacement parking and barrier-free access to the shops along the road.

Everyday scene from Campos: A baker on the Rambla, with a board full of ensaimadas, waves from behind the barrier. Two elderly women sit on a bench within sight of the construction site. A school bus turns onto Ronda Estación in the morning; the children watch the big machines with interest. These small everyday moments show that a construction site is not only about engineering, but also a space for encounters and an economic lifeline.

Concrete solutions that should be implemented now: First, a publicly accessible maintenance plan for the trees, with responsibilities, watering intervals and an emergency budget. Second, a temporary parking solution — for example clearly signposted replacement areas and short loading zones for suppliers — so that businesses remain accessible. Third, a transparent day-by-day plan for the construction phases: which junction will be closed on which date, with clear signage on site and digital updates for residents. Fourth, when planting, use native, drought-resistant species and invest in quality root barriers so that plazas and sidewalks do not heave later.

Conclusion: Campos is investing in visible improvements: two roundabouts, underground utilities and 30 new trees are more than cosmetic. But for the project to become a sustainable gain for residents and businesses it needs more than construction plans: clear maintenance commitments, practical solutions for the construction period and stronger involvement of local merchants. Otherwise the result will be a well-paved road — but tired trees and annoyed neighbors. A village deserves both: attractive routes and a lively street around them.