The state of conservation of the Spanish roads registers the worst data from 1985

“The Spanish roads die ”. With this lapidarian sentence, Miguel Mª Muñoz, president of the Spanish Association of the Road, resumía the conclusions of the last study realised by this association on the state of conservation of the road network. And it is not for less, since the results of this complete investigation, that has comported the visual inspection of 3.600 stretches of roads, 3,6 million m² of pavimento, 3.600 vertical signals of code and 1.000 km of marks viales, amongst other elements, are really worrisome.

Of the study gives off that the state of conservation of our roads has worsened in these last six years to an annual rhythm of 5%, until situating in levels that did not register from the years 80. This has caused that to cut across this deficit of conservation was necessary the urgent investment of 5.500 million euros.

This urgency, as it remained evident in the presentation, is not wayward but it has his origin in the relation that keeps the deterioration of the roads with the siniestralidad. The user of a vehicle needs greater levels of concentration in the derivative driving of the need to loan more attention to the pavimento, with the consequent increase of the cansancio and the loss of perception with regard to the circumstances of the traffic, the road and the signaling.

Besides, this urgency also is very linked to the data contributed by the general director of the AEC, Jacobo Díaz, that show the exponential increase, and no linear, of the costs of repair with the pass of the years. “Each no invested euro to time in reinforcement of firm transforms in five euros to the three years and in 25 euros from the fifth year”, signalled.

To cut across this situation, the AEC requests to the Government measured urgent that allow to keep in good condition the big value patrimonial of our road network (estimated in 80.000 million euros for the State Network and in 88.000 million euros for the Autonomic Network), that can happen, according to Miguel Mª Muñoz, by a replanteamiento political of the priorities in the network of infrastructures (giving, for example, less leadership to the high rail speed) and, of not being possible this road, betting by new formulas of financials, as it can be the payment by use of the roads.

With regard to the first, the president of the AEC was very clear: “it would suffice with delaying the construction of 96 km of BIRD to be able to face up to the 5.500 million euros that it is necessary to invest to correct the deficiencies in the state of our roads”. And with regard to the second point, Miguel Mª Muñoz, was not less nítido, manifesting the “need inexcusable that any new imposición fiscal go tied to a character finalist, of utilisation forced in the improvement of the road”.

The review to the conclusions of the ‘Study on Needs of Investment in Conservation' ran to charge of Elena of the Crag, technical general deputy director of the AEC, the one who underlined the exhaustividad of the investigation, that has explained “with an important work of field to give some results adjusted to the reality”.

In the first place, with regard to the state of conservation of the firm, put the accent in the remarkable deterioration that appreciates so much in the Network of Roads of the State as in the Autonomic Network, obtaining a half qualification of “deficient” in both cases.

The situation is especially grave for the autonomic roads, that register a fall of 31 points in his half note regarding the year 2005, exercise in which the index of state of the firm of these roads situated in an acceptable “level”.

For both networks, the study awards to the state of conservation of the firm the worst note of the last 25 years, and this in spite of the important number of kilometres that have built . This puts of self-evident that the pavimento begins to show evident symptoms of a grave structural deterioration, consequence of the fault of investment in his maintenance.

Like this, the investments in reinforcement of firm in the Network of Roads of the State have happened of more than 500 million annual euros in the years 2007 and 2008, to 28 millions in 2009, 14 millions in 2010, 0 euros in 2011 and 0 euros in the three first months of 2012.

From the point of view of needs of investment, the audits carried out by the AEC estimates that give back to the firm to a state of conservation adapted requires at present a minimum investment of 5.200 million euros. Of them, the Network of the precise State of 1.600 millions, and the Autonomic Network of 3.600 millions.

With a half qualification of 4,9 and 4,5 respectively, the vertical signaling in the roads of the State and in the Autonomic obtains in this study a punctuation underneath of the approved. With this consolidates the qualification of “deficient” that this type of signaling comes dragging from the first years of the decade of 2000.

In the State Network, around 88.000 signals surpass the age of seven years (period of guarantee awarded by the manufacturers for the plates retrorreflectantes), what translates in that, although during the day the signal shows in a state of conservation well, at night his visibility is not guaranteeed.

In the Autonomic Network, by his part, would be necessary to renew some 237.000 signals, what represents an investment of 48 million euros (27 millions for the roads of the State). This contrasts with the practically invalid investment that has realised in 2010 and 2011 in this chapter from the administration.

The negative tendency that reveal the results obtained in this study breaks in the case of the marks viales of the Network of the State. The horizontal signaling keeps here stable his levels of conservation, with a half qualification of “acceptable”, and a punctuation of 6,1.

Does not fit the same affirmation for the mesh to charge of the Autonomous Communities, in which the horizontal signaling suspends with a note of 4,7, in front of the approved of 2005.

According to this report, would have to repintarse a total of 3.000 kilometres of marks viales in the State Network, and 47.000 kilometres in the Autonomic, what requires a global investment of 90 million euros.

Regarding the metallic barriers (and splitting of the fact that the AEC only studies the installed barrier and no the need of his installation in those stretches that lack the same), the study approves them “by a hair's breadth”, ascertaining a slight improvement so much in the state roads (with qualifications that have happened of 4,9 in 2005 to 5,6 in 2011) as in the Autonomic (of 4,8 to 5,2).

Of all the elements analysed, the balizamiento is the one who presents a healthier state in both networks. Like this, it is the only section in which they appear notes of 8,2 and 8, and the qualification of “good”.

Regarding the lighting, 21% of the luminarias analysed in this investigation were turned off, what creates worry by the state that crosses this indispensable equipment for the hygiene vial during the nocturnal circulation.

The study auditss the half parameters of iluminancia (quantity of light that arrives to the pavimento) and uniformity (homogeneity of said light), concluding that 59% of the luminarias, in the first case, and 24% in the second, register ranks no suitable.

The conclusions of the study of these parameters have been confirmed by the Technical Services of the National Association of Manufacturers of Lighting (Anfalum).

The presentation of the ‘Study on Needs of Investment in Conservation' concluded with a turn of questions for the journalists assistants that served, amongst other details, so that Miguel Mª Muñoz manifested his intention to appear in the Congress to transmit to the deputies his worry by the situation that crosses the conservation of our roads; his fear in front of the cuts contemplated in the General Budgets of the State (“what has published up to now is to throw to shiver”, signalled); and his reafirmación in the possibility to increase the limit of speed in those stretches of road where was constatable a good state of conservation.

- The state of conservation of the firm obtains the worst note in 25 years.

- It is necessary to replace 325.000 signals.

- Is necessary repintar near of 50.000 km of marks viales.

- The metallic barriers obtain an approved just.

- The balizamiento, only element that obtains good qualification.

- Lighting: 21% of the luminarias, turned off.

- Needs of investment to correct the situation: near of 5.500 million euros.

- Recommendation of investment in conservation: 1.600 million annual euros in the National Network of Roads and 1.760 million euros in the Autonomic Network and Foral.