The presence of the Egyptian vulture in Las Encartaciones will delay the reform of the BI-630 road between Balmaseda and Malabrigo, specifically in the section involving the construction of a viaduct over the Cadagua river. The existence of specimens in this area has compelled the Provincial Council of Bizkaia to adopt special measures to protect the vital cycles of the avifauna. Among these is the obligation to halt works for six months each year throughout the five-year duration of the project.

The complete project is divided into five sections and should have been finished last year. However, only the first has been executed. Progress has now been made in the procedures to initiate the construction of the second section. Nevertheless, it is still in the public exhibition phase, so it will be some time before machinery is seen on site. A provincial official for Infrastructure attributed the delays last week in the General Assemblies to the “high” environmental demands for operating in the area. The proposed tasks entail “an extraordinary effort in technical, economic, and timeline terms that we assume,” the official stated.

This Thursday, at the press conference following the Provincial Council's Governing Council, the provincial official reiterated this argument to justify the delay in the 240-meter viaduct project, which will span five years, but with effective work only occurring for two and a half years. The official noted that the tasks to protect the operational area during periods when intervention is not possible, as well as the guarantee of resuming work six months later, will also impact the budget allocated for this second section. In total, 44 million euros will be invested. Additionally, other measures will be adopted during the operation, including ensuring specific passages for wildlife, restoring slopes using bioengineering techniques, and conducting permanent environmental monitoring.

The projected viaduct will span the valley and must respect existing infrastructures, including the Bilbao-Balmaseda railway line, a section of the Camino de Santiago, and the hydroelectric power plant canal. The complete proposal to directly connect the Cadagua corridor (BI-636) with the BI-630 aims to prevent vehicles from passing through urban centers like Balmaseda or Zalla, facilitating the diversion of 3,797 light vehicles and 424 heavy vehicles to the Cadagua corridor.

The second phase of the project is already in public exhibition. Citizens have one month to submit allegations, while local councils will have two months. After this period, the document must obtain the Environmental Impact Statement (DIA) to proceed with the drafting of the final project, tendering, and finally, contracting the works. The Provincial Council is working on the other three sections of the project, which are in initial phases.