Rafa Nadal is much more than a tennis legend. His commitment to sports, education, and his homeland led him to found the Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor in 2016. It is a high-performance center that also offers services to the general public.
From gym classes to an indoor pool, his academy is an international benchmark. However, the growth of the complex has caused a serious traffic problem in the area, for which the authorities aren’t finding a solution.
Bad news for Rafa Nadal and Xisca Perelló
The conflict centers on the Ma-4015 road, where the academy, the sports center, and the museum are located. The public parking lot, planned for the soccer field, is also used by academy users.
This congestion has set off alarms for the mayor, Miquel Oliver. In fact, he doesn’t hide his frustration: “What would happen if we installed a barrier to allow only accredited users of our facilities to enter,” he suggests.
He adds: “We don’t understand why Consell keeps prioritizing other interests and insists on building a roundabout in front of a private academy.” The mayor argues that the safest exit to the county road would be at the museum intersection, an area that’s already very busy.
However, Consell is proposing the construction of two roundabouts in a stretch of just 328 ft. (100 meters). The idea doesn’t convince the City Council, especially because the academy’s roundabout would have direct access to the public parking lot.
“The exit, in any case, should lead to the road that goes to the future parking lot that the academy must build,” he insists. In addition to the urban planning conflict, the economic problem is also significant. The parties can’t agree on who should bear the costs.
So far, they haven’t reached an agreement
According to a previous agreement, the academy was supposed to pay for half of a roundabout. However, prices have risen and now they’re talking about one million euros. If no one takes on the second roundabout, the City Council fears that Consell will end up paying for the private part as well.
Meanwhile, the conflict remains stalled, and traffic in the area continues to cause inconvenience for residents and users. The lack of consensus among authorities and the disagreement over cost sharing keep solutions on hold that, for many, are already arriving too late.
If action isn’t taken soon, the problem could get even worse in one of the busiest areas of Manacor. The lack of effective solutions not only affects traffic but also the coexistence between public and private services.
