José Luis Sanz Merino, head of the Ministry of Mobility and Digital Transformation, the only department that has changed hands, but not of a political nature, announced yesterday that his department is studying the possibility of replacing the New Road Plan, awaiting approval, for a strategy “more based” on realitytaking into account – he said – the experience accumulated with the one that is still in force, the one that refers to the period 2008-2020, since he recognized that the execution of the planned investments has not been “as intense” as they would have appreciated the impact of the previous economic crisis.
In his appearance before the Cortes to explain his action program for this legislature, Sanz Merino wanted to answer the questions posed by all the spokesmen of the opposition and also of the Popular Group, who demanded that he approve the new Highway Plan, which his predecessor María González Corral had promised and which is still pending. “We are analyzing alternatives for this type of programming and the possibility of changing the paradigm,” he said, despite the work already being “very advanced.”
In this sense, the head of Mobility insisted that this is happening taking into account the impact that the economic situation has had on the current Highway Plan, which, he recalled in his explanatory statement, includes its “sliding” nature over time, as well as due to the uncertainty of the international context, caused by conflicts such as the war in UkraineHe also indicated that other communities and the government itself have replaced the plans with other instruments and, as examples, he cited the Security, Sustainable and Connected Mobility Strategy 2030 or the Atlantic Corridor Master Plan.
The councilor, however, assured that the current plan, approved by decree, continues to be “still the north” for his department because he reaffirmed that “the expected results have not been achieved.” However, he denied that this has meant that the Council has stopped working on the continuous analysis of the needs of the road network, the largest in the country with 11,500 kilometers, and to address priorities. Indeed, he stressed that the premises of the diagnosis included in the current Plan apply, although he recognized that many things have changed that require an update, reports Ical.
Sanz Merino also highlighted the resumption of investments in road infrastructure and recalled that Since the beginning of the legislature, they have invested more than 332 million in roadsof which 264 are intended for conservation and maintenance and more than 60 for modernization actions, such as the Guardo variant or the Salas de los Infantes.
In addition, he defended that the execution of the budget reaches an average of 99 percent each year, which reflects for him that the action is carried out in an “effective” manner, even if there is no new formal plan. Therefore, He denied that there was a paralysis in the activity of his ministry.
Sanz Merino chose in his appearance to “give continuity and continue moving forward” in the task started by his predecessor, María González Corral. He stressed that the logistics strategy that will soon be published The public hearing aims to “make Castilla y León a reference logistics hub at national and European level, which values the opportunities that arise from the exceptional situation” of the Community and the development of its logistics sector. It will also constitute “the reference framework and roadmap” for the Council’s policies on land promotion and logistics development and aims “to promote the establishment of new companies” and “the consolidation and expansion” of existing ones.
