[E] Spanish Autopistas and Autovías

[Cicerón]

You have a nice motorway called AP-7 if you want to drive fast...

Anyway: Some pictures of the never ending works of the new undergroud A-7 in San Pedro de Alcántara, near Marbella.














Source:
http://www.vidauna.com/foro/forum_po...terramiento-01
http://www.vidauna.com/foro/forum_po...terramiento-02

It will be finished in April, according to this newspaper: http://www.laopiniondemalaga.es/marb...il/481492.html

[ChrisZwolle]

Nice. Few countries have urban motorways as well-designed as Spain. Tunnels and below-grade sections everywhere.

Here's a question: Which is the largest city in mainland Spain which is not connected to an autovía or autopista?

[Cicerón]

Maybe Ronda (36.8k, in Málaga province). Soria (40k) has the A-15, but there's still no connection to the rest of the network (you have to use the N-111 to reach the A-2).

[Peines]

Originally Posted by Cicerón

You have a nice motorway called AP-7 if you want to drive fast...

The major part of AP-7 in Alicante province is near bankrupt...!

Nobody wants to pay a excessive toll for a few kms, because, or we don't have money or because we are Spanish and we never pay for something that we can have for free.

████████████████████████████████████████████████████████

[J N Winkler]

Originally Posted by Peines

P.D.: VÍA PARQUE = Dual Carriageway with roundabouts every 2 or 3kms...

Is this meant to be a calque of parkway (sometimes used in American contexts in relation to freeways designed with extreme relaxation of standards)?

[Peines]

Originally Posted by J N Winkler

Is this meant to be a calque of parkway (sometimes used in American contexts in relation to freeways designed with extreme relaxation of standards)?

Well... according to wikipedia... a parkway is:

• A divided limited-access road with grade separated interchanges. Also known as an expressway, freeway, and interstate highway (North American English); dual carriageway, motorway, and highway (British English); Autobahn (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), and Autostrada (Italy, Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Albania, Belgium, Egypt, Lebanon, and Israel).
• A broad landscaped highway thoroughfare,[1] or a roadway in a park or a landscaped thoroughfare connecting parks from which trucks and other heavy vehicles are excluded.

...Via Parque don't have grade separated interchanges, only over-sized roundabouts.

[Cicerón]

After checking this list I've found some oter towns in mainland Spain with more than 20k inhabitants which aren't connected to any autovía or autopista.

They are mostly located in Andalusia:

-Úbeda (36k) and Baeza (16k) are still not connected to the A-32.
-Some villages in inner Andalusia: Puente Genil (30k), Morón de la Frontera (28.5k), Priego de Córdoba (23k), Alcalá la Real (23k), Palma del Río (21.5k), Baena (21k) and Alhaurín el Grande (24k) which is next to Coín (22k).
-Coastal towns such as Rota (29k) and Barbate (23k).
-Some towns in the Seville metro area have weird autovías or dual carriageways: A-8057 from Mairena del Aljarafe (42k) to the SE-30, A-8002 to La Rinconada (37k), A-8058 to Coria del Río (29k)...


Catalonia has a bunch of them too:

-Two important tourist towns in the Costa Brava such as Palafrugell (23k) and Lloret de Mar (40k). Also Valls (25k, A-27 u/c) near Tarragona, or Castellar del Vallès (23k) near Barcelona.
-Vic (41k) is connected to the C-17, which is a dual carriageway. The C-25 is being transformed into an autovía though.


There are also some in Murcia Region [Yecla+Jumilla (35k+26k, A-33 planned for these 2) and Torre Pacheco (33k)], Valencia Region [Carcaixent (21k), Aspe (20k), Onda (26k), and Santa Pola (33k)] and Galicia [Oleiros (34k), Redondela (30k), A Estrada (22k)].


So I'd say Lloret de Mar is the largest city without a connection to an autovía or autopista or dual carriageway.

Originally Posted by J N Winkler

Is this meant to be a calque of parkway (sometimes used in American contexts in relation to freeways designed with extreme relaxation of standards)?

I'm not sure but I don't think so. "Vías parque" usually have the following characteristics:
-Dual carriageways (2x2).
-Large roundabouts.
-Segregated bike path.
-Build in relatively densely-populated rural areas where expropiation costs are bigger.
-The current 1+1 road is busy.
-There is an alternative autovía or autopista.
-They are usually landscaped.

In fact, the concept is quite new and limited only to Valencia Region so far:
-CV-86 Elche-Alicante.
-CV-18 Castellón-Nules.
-The new N-332.

[Peines]

A map of the different "Vía Parque" roads in Alicante, but notice that only N-332 and CV-86 + A-79 has the title "Vía Parque".

[alserrod]

Originally Posted by ChrisZwolle

Nice. Few countries have urban motorways as well-designed as Spain. Tunnels and below-grade sections everywhere.

Here's a question: Which is the largest city in mainland Spain which is not connected to an autovía or autopista?

Originally Posted by Cicerón

Maybe Ronda (36.8k, in Málaga province). Soria (40k) has the A-15, but there's still no connection to the rest of the network (you have to use the N-111 to reach the A-2).

Data written by Ciceron is correct... but the question could be, which is the biggest city without a motorway in the area (sometimes the city has not a motorway but it is only 20 km away) and which area is connected only to few parts.

Soria is not fully connected. Direction Madrid is under construction, partially opened. Direction Valladolid is under construction but few parts opened, and direction Tudela... very slowly.

We could consider Teruel. Very well connected to Zaragoza and to Valencia but with impossible conections to Madrid and Central Spain.

Northern Catalonia and Aragon, in the Pyrenees are really far from a motorway. No cities... but more than 100 km to a motorway.


And, for example, Orense has motorway, Ponferrada has motorway.
Distance Orense-Ponferrada is 162 km by road and....350 km by motorway (via Benavente)

[Cicerón]

Something like this?



The road between Ponferrada and Ourense carries 5,000 vehicles per day. It is in good conditions although it might need some improvements. We are not going to make a motorway for every possible route. This is not 2006 anymore

[jovibo]

Originally Posted by Peines

The major part of AP-7 in Alicante province is near bankrupt...!

I used it to go from Alicante to Valencia and viceversa several times a year but since A-7 (Autovía Central, free motorway, shorter distance) was completely opened, I, as many others, use it almost exclusively.

Regards.

[alserrod]

Originally Posted by Cicerón

Something like this?



The road between Ponferrada and Ourense carries 5,000 vehicles per day. It is in good conditions although it might need some improvements. We are not going to make a motorway for every possible route. This is not 2006 anymore

Yeah, something like this, but just only updated (new motorways where opened since that date and the map would change)

I agree that a good road will not require an update to motorway or similar.

There is a great culture about "motorway only" for long trajects, avoiding those cases of roads that could be faster and quiter.

[Davodavo]

Originally Posted by Cicerón

You have a nice motorway called AP-7 if you want to drive fast...

Anyway: Some pictures of the never ending works of the new undergroud A-7 in San Pedro de Alcántara, near Marbella.

Es un buen ejemplo de lo que no hay que hacer: partir una ciudad en dos (por una autopista, por vías del tren, etc.).
Veo que es un soterramiento así que supongo que antes lo que hacía era precisamente eso, partir la ciudad en dos.
El problema de este tipo de obras es que son muy caras, pero creo que teníamos que haber dedicado el dinero a hacer más cosas de estas en vez de a construir nueva infraestructuras en muchos casos innecesarias.

[arriaca]

Un artículo muy interesante con agunos precios medios de lo que cuesta construir una carretera (convencional, de doble calzada o autopista-autovía)

Tened cuidado porque la orografía influye, y mucho en que los costes aumenten sobre estos que figuran como medios.

    Coste de las carreteras (precios medios):
        Creación:
            3 millones de euros/km de carretera convencional.
            4 millones de euros/km de autovía interurbana.
            700 €/m2 los pasos elevados e inferiores sobre la autovías.
        Mantenimiento (Coste anual):
            6.000 €/km una carretera secundaria.
            9.000 €/km una carretera de la red primaria.
            18.000 €/km una vía de alta capacidad.
            42.000 €/km una autovía.
        Reparación de bache: Entre 35.000 €/km - 65.000 €/km.
        Limpieza: 45 €/km

    Coste de la información:
        Sistemas de gestión integrales del tráfico donde recoger la información de todos los dispositivos: de 40.000 - 140.000 €.
        Cámaras de toma de datos: 6.000 €.
        Estación meteorológica: 32.000 €.
        Panel de Mensajería Variable: 42.000 €.
        Radar láser: 40.000 €.

    Coste de las señales:
        Sustitución de una señal derribada: 145 - 300 €.
        Limpiar una señal (para quitar pintadas-grafitis): 45-75 €.
        Por ejemplo, el coste del cambio de las señales a 110 km/hora que se acometió el año pasado se estimó en 250.000 € (unos 40 €/señal).

    Coste de los accidentes
        Movilización equipo e emergencias 772 €/unidad.
        Coste diario de mantener disonible cada UVI móvil: 3.100 €.
        Movilización de un helicóptero (para zonas rurales a las uqe es complejo llegar por otras vías): 3.642 €.
        Activar un helicóptero sanitrio: 6.800 €.
        Intervención de bomberos: 3.000 €.
        Limpieza posterior de la calzada: 600 €.

http://www.tecnocarreteras.es/web/it...seguridad-vial

[Morsue]

English, please?

[Cicerón]

Here you have

Road costs (average prices):
         Building:
             Conventional road: € 3M/km.
             Motorway: € 4M/km.
             Over/underpasses: € 700/m2. 
         Maintenance (annual cost):
             Secondary road: € 6,000/km.
             Main road: € 9,000/km .
             High-capacity road: € 18,000/km.
             Motorway: € 42,000/km.
         Pothole repair: Between € 35,000/km - € 65,000/km.
         Cleaning: € 45/km

     Information cost:
         Integrated management systems which collect traffic information: from € 40,000 to 140,000.
         Data collection cameras: € 6,000.
         Weather Station: € 32,000.
         Electronic Signpost: € 42,000.
         Laser Radar: € 40,000.

     Signs cost:
         Replacing a demolished sign: € 145 to 300.
         Sign cleaning (removing graffiti): € 45-75.
         For example, the cost of switching signals to 110 km/h which was carried on last year was estimated at € 250,000  (about € 40/sign).

     Accidents cost:
         Emergency equipment mobilization € 772/unit.
         Daily cost of maintaining each mobile Intensive Care Unit: € 3,100.
         Mobilization of a helicopter (for rural areas which are difficult to reach by other means): € 3,642.
         Activate a medical helicopter: € 6,800.
         Fire fighters: € 3,000.
         Subsequent cleaning of the road: € 600.

[arriaca]

Thanks Ciceron, I forgot it...

[Cicerón]

The first pieces of the 2 Tunnel Boring Machines that will excavate the SE-40 under the Guadalquivir river are arriving to the Port of Seville:



Four tunnels with a diameter of 14 m each will be made by these 2 TBMs.

[ChrisZwolle]

Is there a particular reason why they use TBM's instead of the cheaper and less cost-risky immersion method? (I suppose there is not much experience with the immersion method in Spain).

[g.spinoza]

I was about to ask: why a tunnel instead of a bridge? I remember lots of bridges in Seville.