The plenary session of the Lleida Provincial Council has approved a motion by Junts Impulsem to demand from the State actions on the 507 kilometers of state-owned roads that cross the province. The initiative went ahead with the support of all groups except the PSC, which abstained.
The debate came after the recent completion of the emergency works to repair the pavement of the A 2 between La Panadella and Cervera, a stretch that had concentrated a good part of the complaints due to its condition. The motion focused on the fact that the situation is not limited to that highway and that there are other points of the state road network that are still pending investment.
Claim for more investment in several road axes
Jaume Ars, head of the opposition, defended that the action on the A 2 directs the solution for that section, but warned that many other roads remain with urgent needs. He cited as examples the N 260 between El Pont de Suert and La Pobla de Segur and also between Sort and Prats de Sansor.
"The stretch of the highway is in the process of being resolved, but many others need investment" - Jaume Ars, head of the opposition
Ars linked this situation to a lack of resources sustained over time.
"Behind all of this is an investment deficit in infrastructure" - Jaume Ars, head of the opposition
During the plenary session, other political groups also joined the demand. Rosa Pujol, from Ara Pacte Local, maintained that the lack of action equally affects the N 230 and the N 240 and asked for a concrete investment plan with a defined calendar.
From the PP, Joan Siméon regretted that the deficiencies had worsened with this winter's rains, although he remarked that they have been dragging on for a long time. Among the actions he considered necessary, he mentioned the Gerri de la Sal bypass and the stretch between the Vielha tunnel and the capital of Aran, a road with abundant heavy traffic and a level of risk that he described as very high.
Josep Ramon Fondevilla, of ERC, highlighted the territorial impact of these shortcomings and assured that there are sections of the N 260 that have not been asphalted in 30 years.
"When the ways are not in condition, what is put at risk is the equality of opportunities" - Josep Ramon Fondevilla, ERC
The abstention of the PSC and the debate about the political moment
The PSC opted for abstention. Its spokesperson, Cristina Morón, affirmed sharing the need to invest in Lleida's roads, but maintained that it was not the time to present the motion due to the current situation of the A 2 between La Panadella and Cervera, after the already completed repair and with the integral renewal of the pavement in process.
Morón pointed out that this comprehensive renovation of the entire road surface of the A 2 in that section is only pending award. He also recalled that to make these types of investments possible, the approval of the General State Budgets should be facilitated.
Credit modifications for 28.6 million
In the same session, the plenary gave the green light to credit modifications of the Provincial Council and its autonomous bodies for 28.6 million euros. A part of that amount, 4.9 million, will be allocated to the corporation's Roads Plan.
Another 4.2 million euros will be dedicated to continuing the deployment of fiber optics throughout the demarcation. The session thus left two open fronts, institutional pressure to accelerate investments in the state network and the reinforcement of the Provincial Council's own budget items to improve services and infrastructure throughout the province.