The Provincial Council of Bizkaia has inaugurated the renovated MKZ (Mobility Management Center), capable of monitoring the condition of 1,104 kilometers of provincial roads in Bizkaia and processing over five million data points daily. Located near the entrance to the Malmasin tunnels, this center has been overseeing road activity since 1973, with its renovation driven by technological advancements in vehicles and management systems.
The MKZ oversees 210 high-capacity roads in Bizkaia, part of the 1,241 kilometers of provincial routes. This network excludes the Metropolitan Southern Variant, the Artxanda tunnels, and the AP-8, which are managed from a facility in Peñascal. The center has handled 47,941 incidents in the last five years, averaging about 26 per day.
The Malmasin facility, recognizable by its wooden exterior, has expanded its installations and staff to accommodate future road additions, such as the tunnel under the Nervión River or the Markina variant. The renovation added 444 square meters, bringing the total area to 1,044 m².
Renovations included updating the facade and roof, remodeling spaces, and creating a crisis room connected to the control room, equipped with 32 screens for traffic monitoring. The workforce has also increased from 15 to 24 positions.
Last Tuesday, the general deputy, Elixabete Etxanobe, and the provincial head of Infrastructure, Carlos Alzaga, reopened the MKZ center. The modernization project took 19 months and involved an investment of nearly three million euros.
Each of the 17 managed tunnels sends data every ten seconds on ventilation, energy, lighting, air quality, and visibility (a total of 19,000 signals). This information is processed, and responses are coordinated by mobilizing 210 direct workers and over 70 vehicles, particularly during events like snowfall.
Etxanobe emphasized that in Bizkaia, "many people are working to ensure roads are in the best possible condition" and minimize the time between a problem and its solution, always coordinating with SOS Deiak and the Ertzaintza.
