The beginning of 2025 has been tragic for the roads of Aragon. Especially in the province of Huesca, where four deaths were recorded in just one week. This panorama highlights the urgent need to address black spots on the community’s road network, especially dangerous places that concentrate a high number of traffic accidents. Several mayors of towns that border these roads have met and raised their voices in search of solutions for a problem that is not specific.
On January 15, a 71-year-old driver died on the N-230 highway, near Puente de Montañana, after leaving the road and falling down a 20-meter slope. Just a few days earlier, on January 9, two men lost their lives in separate incidents. An 85-year-old driver died when his vehicle crashed on the A-2208, near Hoz and Costean, while a 63-year-old truck driver died on the AP-2, near Fraga, when the truck he was driving overturned. Later, on January 12, a 51-year-old man lost his life on the A-131, in the municipality of Sesa, when he left the road and hit a tree.
These accidents, which have shocked public opinion, underline the urgency of improving road safety in Aragon and addressing dangerous sections of its road network. The black dots that identify sections with a high concentration of traffic accidents congregate on the N-240, the A-23 or the N-232.
The first highway has been the scene of multiple fatal accidents, especially in the municipalities of Huesca, Siétamo and Angües. Despite the investments made in its improvement, it remains one of the most dangerous roads in the region. The A-23, the highway that connects Zaragoza with the Pyrenees, also concentrates a high number of accidents, especially in sections with sharp curves or where the volume of heavy traffic is high. The N-232, a road that crosses Aragon from east to west, presents numerous risk points due to its layout and high vehicle traffic.
The A-131, which connects Huesca with Sariñena and Fraga, also generates problems. More than a dozen town councils have joined forces to jointly demand from the Government of Aragon the “immediate” fix of this road, which has serious deficiencies in the road surface of the section between Huerto and Monflorite, with several potholes and hardly any shoulder. The Sesa City Council has taken the initiative after the accident on January 12 and the first councilors of Albero Alto, Huerto, Peralta de Alcofea, Novales, Monflorite and Piracés have joined. The list will be expanded with other councils in a common front to request from the General Directorate of Highways of the regional executive an intervention that is “urgent and priority.”
The mayor of Sesa, Sonia Blanco, explains that this is “a demand from many years ago” and that the works are “immediately necessary” in pursuit of “minimum security conditions”: “We cannot wait any longer, it has to be a priority. Highway exits are frequent due to the narrowness of certain sections without a shoulder and the large potholes, with curves without visibility that cause the invasion of the opposite lane with the danger that entails.
Blanco recalls that this road is a “backbone” of the province of Huesca on which action has been taken “punctually” and which also supports heavy traffic. There are still 16 kilometers to be conditioned distributed between the towns of Huerto and Sesa, Sesa and Novales, and Albero Alto and Monflorite.
Many Aragonese roads still do not have designs adapted to the volume and type of current traffic, which increases the risk of accidents. Added to this factor are the weather conditions, with frequent fog in winter and heavy rain that reduces visibility and increases the chances of accidents. Factors such as speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol or distracted driving are determining factors in many accidents, and although improvements have been made in some sections, many roads are still awaiting investments for their modernization.
According to data from the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT), in 2024 there were 55 deaths due to traffic accidents in Aragon, one more than in 2023. Of these, 45 occurred on conventional roads, while the rest took place on highways and highways. . Eleven more, on urban roads.
The province of Huesca concentrated a high percentage of these accidents, due to its extensive network of secondary roads and the increase in traffic during the winter months, when tourists go to the ski resorts of the Pyrenees. Furthermore, the presence of heavy vehicles on sections such as the N-240 and N-232 aggravates the situation.
To reduce the accident rate in the black spots of Aragon, sources from the Government of Aragon recall that the General Highway Plan of Aragon 2013-2024 includes measures for the maintenance and modernization of the road network, although its application has been slow due to restrictions. budgetary. In recent years, funds have been allocated to improve roads such as the N-240, where 5.6 million euros have been invested in asphalt and signage. However, these investments have not been enough to completely eliminate blackheads.
Radars have been installed on dangerous stretches to discourage drivers from exceeding the speed limits. And both the DGT and the Government of Aragon have launched campaigns to raise awareness among drivers about the risks of reckless driving and alcohol consumption.
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