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What it is

How state roads in Spain are planned, built and protected

BOE step 7 of 7 · Passed

It is a government bill. Introduced by the Government. It was introduced on 11 May 2015. Introduced by: Gobierno.

Official title: Government bill on Roads.

Follow this law

Source: Congreso de los Diputados, file 121/000153· updated 11 Nov

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

  1. The law organizes the State Road Network and divides it into a Basic Network (main routes carrying long-distance traffic) and a Complementary Network (the rest). It also creates the Adjacent Road System, made up of state roads outside the Network that can be transferred to other public administrations.
  2. Roads are classified as highways (autopistas), dual carriageways (autovías), multilane roads and conventional roads. The old category of fast road disappears.
  3. Before major road projects are approved, a cost-benefit analysis, multicriteria analysis to prioritize actions, and a study of the feasibility of indirect management or public-private partnership formulas are required.
  4. Road safety impact assessments are mandatory in studies for new roads, and safety audits must be carried out on projects and before works enter service.
  5. Four protection zones are established alongside roads: public domain, easement, affectation and a new building restriction zone, where construction is banned. In bypasses, the building limit line is set 50 meters from the roadway.
  6. Access to roads is strictly limited: on highways, dual carriageways and bypasses you can only enter or exit through their interchanges, and building or modifying an access without authorization is a very serious offense.
  7. Advertising visible from the road is banned outside urban sections, and the Ministry can order the removal of elements that affect road safety.
  8. Offenses are classified as minor, serious and very serious, with fines from €300 to €300,000. Very serious sanctions are imposed by the Minister of Public Works and expire after six years.

Who it affects

  • Owners of land next to state roads: They cannot build in the building restriction zone and need Ministry of Public Works authorization for works in the other protection zones.
  • Companies and individuals who want road access: They need authorization, and direct access to the roadway is often not allowed; doing it without permission is a very serious offense.
  • Drivers and road users: Road safety is reinforced through audits and the removal of advertising that distracts drivers.
  • Concession holders and road service companies: They must provide data to the Ministry, answer for service negligence and follow the rules for awarding service areas.
  • Town councils: They receive road sections that become urban streets and must coordinate their planning with approved road studies.

Words worth knowing

Dominio público viario (road public domain)
Land owned by the State because it serves the road: the road itself, its functional elements and a strip of land on each side.
Zona de servidumbre (easement zone)
A strip of land next to the road where only works or uses authorized by the Ministry of Public Works are allowed.
Contribuciones especiales (special levies)
Payments due from those who specially benefit from a road project, such as owners of adjacent land.
Travesía (road through a town)
The part of a road that runs through a built-up area, with buildings along at least two thirds of both sides.
Deslinde (boundary demarcation)
The official procedure to mark the exact limits of land that is public domain of the road.

It summarizes the law as published in the BOE. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries

Where it stands

How far did it get?

It took 7 of 7 steps. It reached BOE, and today it is passed.

  1. Introduced11 May 2015Someone registers the text in the Congreso.
  2. Admitted12 May 2015The Bureau of the Congreso accepts it and, for a members’ bill, the plenary decides whether to consider it.
  3. Amendments14 May 2015Groups propose changes.
  4. Committee26 June 2015A committee goes through the text in detail.
  5. Plenaryno dateAll 350 deputies vote.
  6. Senate7 July 2015The Senate can pass it, amend it or veto it.
  7. BOE10 September 2015It is published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) and comes into force.
See the 8 official steps on a timeline
May 2015Jun 2015Jul 2015Aug 201511. 11 May 2015: Presentación22. 12 May 2015: Comisión de Fomento Publicación desde 12/05/2015 hasta 14/05/201533. 12 May 2015: Calificación44. 14 May 2015: Comisión de Fomento Enmiendas desde 14/05/2015 hasta 26/06/201555. 26 June 2015: Comisión de Fomento Informe desde 26/06/2015 hasta 30/06/201566. 30 June 2015: Comisión de Fomento Aprobación con competencia legislativa plena desde 30/06/2015 hasta 07/07/201577. 7 July 2015: Senado desde 07/07/2015 hasta 10/09/201588. 10 September 2015: Concluido - (Aprobado con modificaciones) desde 10/09/2015 hasta 13/10/2015

Was there a plenary vote?

We have no plenary vote linked to this law in the Congreso’s data.

What happens next

What happens now?

It is law, or will be once published in the BOE. It comes into force on the date its own text sets.

Presented before in:

Published in the BOE: Law 37/2015, of September 29, on roads.

Sources

Where does all this come from?

  • The data comes from the open files of the Congreso, the Senate and the BOE, unaltered.
  • Each deputy’s province is the one of their seat on the day of the vote.
  • We only say “passed” or “rejected” when the majority needed is certain; otherwise we say which side had more votes.

Read the full method · Report an error