Community demands road improvements after teen volleyball star's death

The community of Necochea is demanding urgent upgrades to Route 88, a dangerous stretch of road connecting Mar del Plata and Necochea, following the tragic death of 15-year-old volleyball player Ana Peralta Rondanina.

Ana was killed in a head-on collision on July 12 while traveling in a taxi back to her city after training and competitions. She was considered a national volleyball prodigy. Her death adds to a grim toll of over 120 victims on Route 88 in recent decades. The road, which has seen a significant increase in traffic volume and heavy transport vehicles due to regional economic activity, remains a single-lane asphalt strip, ill-equipped for the demand and notorious for its critical accident points.

Ana's mother, Andrea Rondanina, has become a vocal advocate for safety improvements, vowing that her daughter's death "should not be in vain" and calling for Route 88 to be converted into a dual carriageway. She has mobilized hundreds of residents, institutions, and local leaders in Necochea's central plaza, holding signs that read "No more deaths," "Autovía 88 for life," and "For the memory of Anita and all the deceased."

A petition on Change.Org demanding the provincial government of Buenos Aires upgrade the route has garnered over 40,000 signatures. The accident occurred at night near kilometer 55, between Mar del Plata and Miramar. Ana was traveling with a fellow volleyball player, Catalina, who sustained minor injuries, and the taxi driver, Santiago Irigoyen, 58, who died at the scene. They collided with a truck carrying fish; its driver suffered a fracture and was hospitalized. Ana was rushed to the General Hospital in critical condition.

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Anita's light reached so many people, so my crusade is that her passing is not in vain, that Route 88 becomes a dual carriageway once and for all.