The Council of Ministers, at its meeting today, has authorized the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Mitma) to tender a service contract for the execution of various conservation and exploitation operations on state roads in the province of Albacete, with an estimated value of 22.37 million euros (VAT not included).
The duration of the contract is two years, with the possibility of an extension of three years and an additional one of a maximum of nine months, and affects a total of 132 km of roads, which include 57 km of motorways.
This contract contains requirements to promote energy efficiency and emission reduction and is part of Mitma’s program to maintain traffic, road and safety conditions in the State Road Network, ensuring that it is accessible in the right conditions to all citizens.
This contract is intended for the road sector No. 2 and includes several sections of the motorways A-35 (from km 0 to 8,500), A-33 (from km 65,440 to 78,308), A-43 (from km 106,850 to 143,159), as well as several sections of the roads N-301, N-310, N-330, N-344, N-430A, as well as the link between the motorways A-35 and A-31.
In addition, along with the aforementioned roads, the execution of the work will also be subject to the contract:
- Superficial rehabilitation of the firm on the N-310 road between km 136,785 and 145, stretch between Villarrobledo and the provincial boundary with Cuenca. Province of Cuenca.
What's new in the sheets
Thus, within the strategy of reducing emissions and improving energy efficiency, the Ministry has included objectives of mitigation and compensation of the carbon footprint in the tender documents of the conservation and exploitation contracts (COEX) of the State Road Network, which means that companies must include in their offers the calculation of the carbon footprint that they will generate during the execution of the contract in each stretch of the road.
They will also commit to presenting a decarbonization plan in the first six months of the contract with reduction and emissions compensation measures to achieve a carbon neutral balance within 5 years from the start of the contract. The compensation can be done through the absorption projects registered in the Carbon Footprint, Compensation and Carbon Dioxide Absorption Projects, under the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, or through other options.
This plan will also be included within the valuation criteria.
The aim is to reduce CO2 by 71,640 tons per year, which, according to calculations made by the General Directorate of Roads, generates the regular operation and maintenance and operation of the State Road Network and reinforces the orientation towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to which Mitma is committed.
Conservation model characteristics
The new model of mixed contracts (services and works) for the execution of conservation and exploitation operations in the State Road Network aims to offer a comprehensive service of mobility to the user, improve the state of the road and network and optimize public resources.
Through them, works are carried out to help the roads and ordinary conservation of the roads, to allow the infrastructure and its functional elements to have the best possible conditions of circulation and safety. It includes actions such as: schedule of status information and programming, operating aid and road safety studies and maintenance of road elements with adequate levels of quality.
Last year, energy efficiency measures were incorporated into service facilities, such as self-consumption, renewable heating systems, energy saving measures in lighting or the implementation of electric motor vehicles.