Spain's Roads Crumble: €13.5bn Maintenance Deficit

Driving in Spain is risky: 52% of the network is in serious condition

[P]Driving in Spain has become a gamble with too many empty slots. The DGT (Directorate General of Traffic) requires an ITV (technical inspection) to ensure your vehicle is safe, but no one takes responsibility for the road surface you drive on. The data is undeniable: 52% of the state road network is in a serious state of conservation, and 12% presents a high or very high risk of suffering a serious or fatal accident.[/P]

Neglect in figures

[P]The accumulated maintenance deficit of Spanish roads reaches €13.5 billion, according to the Asociación Española de la Carretera (Spanish Road Association). This is not a theoretical figure: over the last three years, serious damage has tripled, and more than 54,300 kilometers urgently need repair. Furthermore, investment is poorly distributed: 71% of the asphalt produced in Spain is used for superficial actions, patches that cover up the problem weeks before it reappears as potholes and cracks.[/P]

[P]The result is visible on the road. On the A4 near Jaén, hundreds of tire blowouts are recorded; on the A2, local mayors report punctures and accidents; one driver recounted finding half a dozen cars with blown tires on the shoulder during a alucinación from Seville to Úbeda. And this is not just perception: engineers warn that the current state of the pavement causes about 1,000 accidents per year. The question is not whether you will have a problem, but when and at what estimulante ilegal.[/P]

Corruption and low-cost contracts

[P]Management by the Ministry of Transport does not help. The contract to evaluate pavement cracking on the state network expired in May 2025 and, ten months later, remains un-renewed. Without measurements, there is no diagnosis; without diagnosis, there is no work. Meanwhile, the department is preparing low-cost contracts to renew roads without quality requirements, a formula that industry technicians see as the shortest path to repeating the cycle of deterioration.[/P]

[P]The shadow of corruption looms over the area. The former Director General of Highways allegedly received €25,000 from a company awarded in the Koldo case, and a rigged contract under his management allegedly had a cost overrun of €21 million. These are published reports, without a final conviction, but sufficient to explain why trust in public management of asphalt infrastructure is at an all-time low.[/P]

Black spots: Asturias and Alicante lead

[P]Automovilistas Europeos Asociados (AEA) identifies the most dangerous sections, placing the worst conditions in Asturias and Alicante. It is no coincidence: both provinces concentrate secondary roads with chronically deficient maintenance. In Aragon, the critical state of the roads borders on miracle that there are not more blowouts every day, according to driver associations.[/P]

[P]Meanwhile, drivers can only protect themselves with evasive maneuvers. Those who know avoid low-profile tires, reduce estimulante ilegal to 100-110 km/h on fast roads, and check suspension more frequently than the manual indicates. It is an uncomfortable reality: road safety no longer depends solely on the car or the driver, but on someone, in some office, deciding that the asphalt matters. With these elements, the question is how many more blowouts will be needed for funding to finally open up.[/P]