The Council of Ministers, at its meeting today and on the proposal of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, has authorized the tender of three conservation and exploitation contracts on state roads in Cantabria, Madrid and the province of Barcelona, which include requirements to promote energy efficiency and reduce emissions.
The estimated value of these contracts reaches 142.4 million euros (VAT not included) and include a total of 435 kilometers of roads, of which 191 km are motorway. Those of Madrid and Barcelona have a duration of three years, with the possibility of extension for another two years and an additional extension of nine months, while that of Cantabria the duration is 3 years and 3 months, with the possibility of extension of 1 year and 9 months and an additional one of a maximum of 9 months.
The documents contain requirements to promote energy efficiency and emission reduction and the actions are framed in the Ministry’s program to maintain traffic, road and safety conditions in the State Road Network (RCE), ensuring that it is accessible in the appropriate conditions to all citizens.
The works consist of the surveillance and attention of accidents, winter roads, control of tunnels and communications or the maintenance of facilities, in addition to certain specific contracts for the rehabilitation and improvement of signatures and signage and works necessary to improve the functionality of the road on certain roads.
The contracts will be executed in:
Cantabria, through a contract where 29.83 million euros will be invested in the maintenance of 159 km, of which 41 km are motorway, in several sections of the A-8 (from km 231,750 to 273,500) and of the N-621, N-621A and N-634 roads.
This contract includes the Valdáliga service areas and other functional elements, as well as the rehabilitation of the firm on the N-621 road in San Glorio, in the stretch between km 121,650 and 146,250.
Madrid, through a contract of 68.15 million euros of investment for 179 km of roads, of which 86 are motorway, on several sections of the A-5R motorway, between the kilometer points (P.K.) 0 to 2,650; motorway M-11, between the P.K. 1,250 to 10,100; several sections of the M-12, M-13, M-14, M-21, M-23 and M-40 motorways, between the P.K.s. 0 to 61,130; the Avenida de Andalucía, several streets of Ciudad Universitaria, a stretch of the M-22 road and several links of the previous roads.
Province of Barcelona, with a contract of 44.42 million euros for 97 km of roads, of which 64 km are motorway, for work on the A-2, from kilometric point (pk) 588 to 610.700; on the B-10 motorway, from pk 12,078 to 20,188; on the B-20 motorway, from pk 0 to 3,500 and pk 16,890 to 26,890; on the B-22 motorway, from pk 0 to 2,300 and from pk 4,500 to 6,800; on the B-23 motorway, from pk 0 to 14,815; and on several links mentioned above.
Commitment d to the conservation of the CER
From the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility there is a commitment to the conservation of the State Road Network. Thus, these three contracts authorized today by the Council of Ministers add to the thirteen contracts approved in the last month, whose overall value amounts to 339 million euros for 2,375 km of roads in the State. In particular:
On 22 November, five State road maintenance contracts were authorized for the provinces of A Coruña, Ciudad Real, Teruel, Huesca and Palencia, for 131 million euros for 1,127 km.
ü On 14 November, one for the province of Barcelona, for 20.3 million euros for 51 km.
ü On November 7, one for the province of Pontevedra, for 16.4 million euros for 167 km.
ü On 30 October, six conservation contracts were approved for the provinces of Albacete, Salamanca, Soria, Valencia, Castellón, Madrid, for 172 million euros for 1,030 km.
In total, 16 contracts for the maintenance and conservation of 2,810 km of the State road network in Madrid, Catalonia, Valencia, Castilla la Mancha, Castilla y León, Aragón and Cantabria, with an investment of about 774 million euros.
Sustainability
Within the strategy of reducing emissions and improving energy efficiency, the tender documents of the conservation and exploitation contracts (COEX) of the State Road Network contemplate objectives of mitigation and compensation of the carbon footprint, 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 emission reduction and compensation measures to achieve a carbon neutral balance within five years of the contract’s inception. This plan will also be included within the valuation criteria.
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.
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 this Ministry is committed.
Characteristics of the conservation model
The 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 these contracts, 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.