Land access and communications

Land access and inland communications

The main routes connecting the Port of Huelva with its hinterland are as follows:

• A-472 Seville-Huelva.
• A-49 Seville-Huelva-Ayamonte (motorway).
• A-492 Aljaraque –N-431.
• N-431 Huelva-Portugal (via Ayamonte).
• N-435 Badajoz-Huelva.
• N-442 Huelva-Mazagón.
• H-624 From the Outer Port to San Juan del Puerto, bypassing Palos de la Frontera and Moguer.

The Port of Huelva is laid out in a linear manner along the Odiel estuary, where the traditional docks are laid out. These are accessed via urban roads such as Avenidas Norte, Sur, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Real Sociedad Colombina Onubense and Tomás Domínguez Ortiz, and the Huelva estuary, which is home to the industrial installations of the outer port.

Avenida Francisco Montenegro and the bridge over the Tinto River join the inner quays with the outer port of Huelva, in such a way that both areas share common accesses, despite their different functions and the distance separating them.

The road connection with the Guadalquivir valley and the centre of the peninsula is via the A-49 to Seville, and from that point via the N-IV Andalusia dual motorway. Therefore, this road connects to the trunk roads in the state road network.
 

The connection between Portugal and the western area of Huelva is via the N-431 and the A-492, Fperpencwhich connect to the section of the A-49 dual carriageway between Huelva and Portugal.

The Ayamonte international bridge connects to the Portuguese road network, which runs from the border to the Algarve region via a motorway, which in turn is connected to the motorway to Lisbon. As far as traffic with Portugal is concerned, it should be noted that the only Portuguese port that deals with ships with a large draught is Sines, meaning that Huelva’s area of influence for certain types of maritime traffic can include Portuguese regions of lower Alentejo and Algarve.

Moreover, traffic from the west can access the Port via the N-431 or the A-492. It has been identified that, when approaching the city, the traffic that goes to the inner quays accesses the city by the A-492 (Aljaraque to the N-431) instead of using the N-431 and Avda. Cristóbal Colón-Paseo Marítimo-Avda. Hispanoamérica, which is a significantly shorter route, as a result of which access to the port is gained from Aljaraque or Corrales over the new bridge on the River Odiel.

To go to the Outer Port, the traffic coming from the west is channelled along the N-431, bypassing the city to the north up to the A-49 branch road. which joins Huelva and then takes the south-east ring-road The connection to the N-435 (Badajoz - Huelva) is made from the Trigueros junction on the A-49. This motorway channels the access traffic to the city and the port in both directions, and is the the main route for accessing the industrial area of Huelva. The access to the outer port from the A-49 connects to the south-west ring road, a dual carriageway that acts as a bypass of the centre of Huelva, thus avoiding urban areas and coming out on the N-422, which provides access by dual carriageway to the outer port via the bridge over the River Tinto. The N-442 (Huelva-Mazagón) is the main thoroughfare for the outer port, and is particularly important for inner port and industrial traffic. This connection allows the transportation of hazardous goods.

When evaluating road accessibility to the Port of Huelva, it is necessary to stress the importance of local and regional traffic, as nearly 80% of the traffic originates from or is going to points within a 50 km radius, which relates to the industrial area adjacent to the port or the mining installations in the region.

The Port Authority of Huelva has a road network that serves its installations and service area well. The main artery is the roue made up of Avenida de Hispano América, Avenida Francisco Montenegro (the road to Punta del Sebo) and the Tinto Bridge, which link interior docks and the outer port. Traffic from Portugal, Extremadura or Seville has easy access to the service area from the A-49 motorway or CN-431. Local traffic also flows fluidly thanks to an adequate and sensible network of roads and highways.

The names and characteristics of the different roads for which the Authority is responsible are listed below:

Railway access to the Port of Huelva is via a branch line of the Seville-Huelva line on the General Interest Railway Network, which is also linked to the Huelva-Zafra line.

This line services the industrial part of the inner port on its east and west sides, the Inginiero Juan Gonzalo Quay in the outer port and the linked industrial area (Nuevo Puerto Industrial Estate, Refinery, etc.).

The Zafra-Huelva line is the start of the Zafra-Jerez de los Caballeros branch line for freight, by means of which the Gallardo group (steel and cement) is supplied with scrap metal and clinker.

The distances from Huelva to the railway centres mentioned are:

• Huelva-Seville 109 Km
• Huelva-Zafra 179 Km

Map of inner communications and land access

See General Map of the Port of Huelva.