Transport prepares a particular plan of 1.6 billion to cease the deterioration of roads | Economy | EUROtoday

From the railway disaster to the deterioration of the roads. The Popular Party has taken the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, from one difficulty to a different within the plenary session held this afternoon within the Senate, the place he has given particulars a few new funding plan in asphalt to enhance street security. Puente has introduced {that a} particular motion is being ready to enhance the pavements of the State’s street community, endowed with 1,629 million and an execution horizon of three years.

As occurred days in the past, when he brandished in Congress a deficit of 30,000 million in railway funding that he blamed on the governments of Mariano Rajoy, the Minister of Transport has charged this Tuesday towards the favored opposition for a structural drawback within the upkeep of the State Highway Network: “Since 2011 there has been an accumulated deficit in investment in conservation of 5,600 million.” During his speech he additionally said that the present Executive “is facing and reversing this trend with a great budgetary effort, planning and responsibility.” The pavement enchancment plan would go within the route of lowering the aforementioned funding deficit.

The in style senator Juan José Sanz Vitorio has beforehand recalled from the rostrum that his occasion had deliberate a rare funding plan in roads endowed with 5,000 million to behave on 2,000 kilometers of about twenty corridors. An initiative that was deserted.

The State Highway Network totals 26,000 kilometers, representing 16% of all roads distributed all through the nation. However, the minister has confused, it helps 53.5% of the entire site visitors and 65.7% of the heavy site visitors: “If there is a road maintenance problem, it depends 16% on the Government and 84% on the rest of the Administrations,” Óscar Puente has defended himself. Other constructive knowledge used to duplicate the PP are the 16.7% discount since 2014 within the danger of struggling an accident on the state community, and the 25% minimize within the danger of dying because of an accident.

Different associations of building firms and firms specialised in street upkeep have been denouncing for years the shortage of additional billions for the upkeep of highways and traditional roads, which might be detrimental to the security of customers. With railway and street networks at their restrict, the Ministry of Transport has defended this afternoon that the funding carried out in street upkeep reached 1,830 million euros in 2025, a determine that contrasts with the 897 million allotted to this work in 2018, the final 12 months with the PP within the Government. “Some experts estimate the necessary expenditure on road maintenance at 38,000 euros per kilometer, a figure that is currently exceeded, but we had moments with less than 18,000 euros,” criticized Óscar Puente.

At the start of the month, the National Confederation of Freight Transport (CETM) demanded a rise within the finances to a minimum of 2,000 million yearly. And the Spanish Road Association (AEC) estimates the deficit in upkeep at over 13.9 billion, requiring enchancment actions within the subsequent 4 years on 54,300 kilometers, together with provincial and regional authorities roads. When Sanz Vitorio highlighted the AEC’s report from final July, the minister replied that this identical work “recognizes that the central Administration is the one that invests the most per kilometer compared to provincial councils and autonomous communities.”

The results of local weather change on infrastructure have as soon as once more taken first place among the many evils to be combated, with 225 million euros in harm brought on to roads by the current prepare of storms. The preliminary estimate comes from the General Directorate of Highways, which has ready the finances to revive pavements, get better drainage, stabilize slopes, and so on. For this Transport Department, funds have begun to be allotted within the Council of Ministers this Tuesday for motion in emergencies.

The debate within the Senate has as soon as once more been tense, with senators from the favored group rebuking the top of Transport for what they take into account to be a state of abandonment of the railway networks, together with the Madrid Cercanías. “If you want to see overcrowding and poor service conditions, get on the Madrid Metro,” Puente responded. Among requests for the minister to resign, the Government has additionally been criticized for the shortage of General State Budgets and the low execution of European funds. “The roads are in a state that could be improved, without a doubt, and we are working for it,” Puente conceded, “but those who are not entitled to complain and sow a feeling of insecurity among citizens are those who did the least for the state of the roads in this country.” In this manner, a brand new bitter alternate between the Government and the opposition relating to infrastructure has concluded.