Background

This 30-year PPP project, with the Ministerio de Fomento (Ministry of Development and Public Works), consists of the design, building, financing, operation and maintenance of a new 49-km highway between Benavente and Zamora, parallel to the existing N-630, a two-lane road that will be used by local traffic.

The new A66 from Benavente to Zamora is a crucial new link in the principal highway networks of Spain and Europe.

This meant road traffic could use an uninterrupted spinal corridor of modern dualtwo-lane carriageway from Asturias in the north, to Andalucia in the south. The upgrade of this vital arm of the Trans-European road network was completed in 2015.

Stage:

In Operation

ESG/SDG Key facts

The Project crosses a Natura 2000 protected area and implemented wildlife protection measures to protect it, such as exit ramps to allow fauna to cross the highway, bird nest relocations and protections on power lines, wolf monitoring to assess their behaviour around the road.

The project has implemented several initiatives in 2024:
• Installed five double 22kW electric chargers in the maintenance centre;
• Replaced a staff vehicle with a hybrid vehicle totalling 4 hybrid vehicles to date; and
• Added vertical gauges over all overpasses for increased safety.
• In H1 2024, the maintenance manager, operations manager, and foreman accomplished a safety leadership course for the supervisors and managers.
• in Q2 2024, the Project Company acquired a human like signalling robot to improve staff H&S conditions working on the road and completed of vertical gauge marking on all overpasses.

Since 2017, AUTPLATA has been collaborating with The Spanish Federation of Food Banks (FESBAL) through the contribution of food by its workers.

SDG 7 (Affordable and clean energy)

In 2020, 86 photovoltaic modules of 350Wp were installed, providing an annual energy saving of c. 38MWh. Since their installation, the energy produced covers, on average, 23% of the Project’s total energy consumption. Since Q4 2023 the Project Company has renewable energy supply contracts in place
representing 100% of total consumption.

SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth)

The Project Company contacted several suppliers to analyse the installation and monitoring of presence radars in an effort to detect unexpected events (such as the presence of animals, pedestrians, stopped vehicles, and wrong way access of vehicles).

SDG 9 (Industry, innovation, and infrastructure)

For heavy maintenance, the Project requests that suppliers use recycled / low carbon construction materials. In 2024, the planned preventive works for the structural improvement of pavements will apply techniques that allow the on-site recycling of the cement soil layer. This sustainable approach, enables the Project to reduce waste and emissions through recycling.