That the Spanish roads are not at their best is obvious. Potholes, sinkholes, and cracks are daily fare on our highways, and it is something that is getting worse, as we could see after the rains of this winter and this spring.
To address the problem, or rather part of the problem, the Government has authorized an investment of more than €1,000 million for the conservation of the State’s roads.
A Budget Allocation Falling Like Rain in May
According to the Spanish Road Association (AEC), 54,300 kilometers of Spain’s road network are in serious or very serious condition. It accounts for 52% of all our roads, which total 101,700 km. The rains of recent months have not helped, causing the appearance of even more potholes, sinkholes, and cracks on our roads.
€13,000 million would be needed to carry out the necessary maintenance and fix these roads. It’s a lot of money, but you have to start somewhere: the Government has just authorized an investment of more than €1,000 million for the conservation of State roads.
The Council of Ministers held on June 16 gave the green light to tender six contracts that contemplate actions on stretches of state roads in 20 provinces across 10 autonomous communities. These works form part of the maintenance program for the State Road Network “to guarantee the conditions of circulation, viability and safety.”
In total, the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility has been authorized to tender an investment of €1,006 million with this objective for the maintenance of nearly 3,670 km of roads, of which 2,261 km are motorways.
“The six procurement files authorized, divided into 29 lots, contemplate works on various stretches of state roads in 10 autonomous communities and 20 provinces: Valencian Community (Alicante and Castellón), Castile and León (Burgos, Valladolid, León and Soria), Castile-La Mancha (Cuenca, Albacete, Guadalajara and Ciudad Real), Andalusia (Huelva), Community of Madrid, La Rioja, Aragon (Zaragoza), Asturias, Galicia (A Coruña) and Catalonia (Barcelona, Girona, Tarragona and Lleida).”
Desglosando por Comunidad Autónoma, son 188.4 millones de euros para las actuaciones en Castilla y León, 83.98 millones para la Comunidad Valenciana, 20.42 millones para Andalucía, 60.76 millones para la Comunidad de Madrid, 32.35 millones para el Principado de Asturias, 26.58 millones para Galicia, 183.9 millones para Castilla-La Mancha, 216.32 millones para Cataluña, 45.36 millones para La Rioja y 148.68 millones para Aragón.
Es insuficiente para todo lo que hay que hacer
Mientras el Ministerio de Transportes y Movilidad Sostenible licita los contratos para llevar a cabo esas obras, lo cual llevará años, la Confederación Española de Transportes de Mercancías (CETM) ha valorado esta inversión por parte del Gobierno.
“The Spanish Confederation of Freight Transport (CETM) positively regards the announcement by the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, about the Council of Ministers’ authorization to the Ministry to tender a record investment for the conservation of the State Road Network,” CETM said in a statement, though it considers it insufficient.
“From CETM we believe that the scope of the plan is insufficient to respond to the current situation. First, due to its limited coverage: acting on 3,670 kilometers of a state network that exceeds 26,000 kilometers means leaving a majority of the infrastructures unaddressed, many of which are in a critical state that directly affects road safety, operational efficiency, and the operating costs of transport companies,” adds CETM.
Images | Unsplash and Gemini
