Aragón wants agility in the pending works on the A-68. Mayors of the municipalities affected by this infrastructure which, in some sections that run through the community, has a delay of more than 15 yearsas well as the presidents of the regions, have held a meeting with the Development Department of the Government of Aragon in order to learn about the commitment of the Ministry of Transport given to the Aragonese Executive to undertake this route.
A meeting in which, in addition to exchanging information, all parties have reached a agreement that is articulated in three pointss. The first of them is the need for the Ministry of Transportation indicates a “clear, defined and concrete” schedule of all the phases of this work”, which is an important axis for the development of the municipalities, regions and Aragon as it is, in turn, a door to the Mediterranean, explained Octavio López, Minister of Public Works, behind the wheel press release at the end of this meeting.
A schedule that, in addition, must be “complete” because “in 15 years progress has been made in the drafting of the projects, but then they have not had any impact on the execution. An impasse has occurred,” he added. Added to this schedule is the request that, once the phases of the corresponding sections have begun, the necessary steps be taken to ensure that the schedule is met.
That is, there is an “scontinuity solution“to prevent the process from being delayed, which is why the Ministry of Transport will also be asked to given deadlines are reduced in the last meeting with the Government of Aragon, which took place on December 9 of this year, to gain six months in each milestone, whenever technically possible.
These points of agreement that are made through consensus and with the desire for dialogue because “there is no mutiny or rebellion” – López adds -, will be transferred today by the general director of Highways of the Government of Aragon to his counterpart in the Ministry of Transport.
In parallel, the mayors of the municipalities affected by the A-68 will contact the Ministry of Transport to request monographic meetings on this infrastructure in order to advance its execution.
These meetings are expected to take place before the next meeting between the Government of Aragon and the Ministry, which will likely be in June, since it was agreed to hold these meeting points every six months. In these meetings of the mayors – there will also be the participation of the general director of Highways of Aragon -, they will thus allow advance on A-68 to, if possible, “finish off” at the June meeting on the aspects that have already been achieved.
These are new steps that they want to take, although the Government of Aragon has assured that there is no doubt that “the central government will provide a budget for this infrastructure and that the work will be a reality”, although “there are doubts about the pace “.
Hence the importance of these meetings with the mayors and the Ministry of Transportation. It is a slowness that Octavio López has considered that he does not believe is due to “bad faith”, but rather that it is a complex work, with a long stretch and a significant investment, although he has clarified that the problem is not economic, but rather of the steps in the administrative procedure because “all these phases can develop harmoniously or slowly.”
In fact, it is a delay that accumulates through the different central governments in which in these 15 years there has been a different political color. The latest deadlines indicated by the Ministry indicate that the section between El Burgo de Ebro and Fuentes de Ebro will be finished within end of 2026while the Mallén-Gallur section will be ready in the spring 2025. The end of the projects for El Regallo-Alcañiz-Valdealgorfa is scheduled for 2025.
A key way
The mayors present at the meeting have shown their satisfaction for this meeting and for the commitment of the Aragonese Executive to the A-68. “It’s a reasonable agreement that the Ministry of Transport says the schedule and the specific deadlines are met,” said the mayor of Fuentes de Ebro, María Pilar Palacín, who has stressed that behind these requests there is no political interest. In fact, the mayors are of different political color. “We are driven by the interest of our citizens, it affects us all.”
The mayor has stressed that it is a necessary infrastructure because “The only road that continues without being split is the N-232now converted into A-68. It is an area with many real and economic possibilities. With a doubled track, We will have a fast route into and out of Zaragoza and a route to the Mediterranean, which makes us stronger“.
The mayor of Alcañiz, Miguel Ángel Estevan, has also spoken along the same lines, who has also highlighted the importance of the sections of the A-68 as it passes through Teruel and, specifically, through the town of Alcañiz, which is the only one with a population of more than 15,000 inhabitants that does not have a highway. “There is an imbalance.”
The importance of this road is even greater because it affects strategic and key projects for Alcañiz, Teruel and Aragón such as Motorland-La Ciudad del Motor, as well as for all the regions that make up the so-called Bajo Aragón Historico, which has a population of more than of 70,000 inhabitants.
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