General Director of Roads and Infrastructure, Jesús Puerta, participated in the conference ‘More Sustainable Bituminous Mixtures’, where he highlighted the work of the regional administration in pioneering actions in the search for alternative means, more environmentally friendly and in line with the circular economy, for the construction and maintenance of roads.
May 22, 2025
Castilla y León | Mobility and Digital Transformation Department
The Junta de Castilla y León has established itself as a pioneering administration in the implementation of sustainable technical solutions within the road sector. Its strong commitment to modernizing pavements, researching more efficient bituminous mixtures, and promoting public works that are respectful of the environment position it as a national benchmark in the transition towards greener, safer, and more resilient mobility.
The General Director of Roads and Infrastructure of the Junta de Castilla y León, Jesús Puerta, presented this pioneering work at the inauguration of the specialized course ‘More Sustainable Bituminous Mixtures’, a technical forum that brings together industry experts to discuss the latest innovations in ecological and resilient pavement.
During his speech, Puerta highlighted the involvement and commitment of the attendees, emphasizing the importance of training and dialogue spaces that allow for further progress in the sustainability and efficiency of road infrastructures. «We all want to live in balance with our environment. Applying these principles to our immediate environment must be the guiding light for us,» he stated.
The General Director recalled that Castilla y León is at the forefront of using environmentally friendly technologies in the road sector, thanks to the joint efforts of the Administration and sector companies. «We are at the forefront of the asphalt world. It is clear that together we make a good mix, and that’s how we want to continue: mixed, not stirred,» he declared, in a nod to the course title.
The conference, organized in collaboration with institutions, research centers, and industry companies, aims to analyze solutions that reduce the environmental impact of road pavements, promoting material reuse, energy savings, and road safety.
The Junta de Castilla y León thus reaffirms its commitment to a more sustainable, modern, and environmentally friendly mobility, advocating for continuous training and shared innovation as essential tools to build the future of infrastructures. Innovation with Real Impact: Castilla and León, a Reference in Road Sustainability As part of its strategy to promote more sustainable infrastructures, the Junta de Castilla y León is implementing pioneering actions in incorporating environmentally friendly solutions aligned with the principles of the circular economy. A prominent example of this policy is the use of end-of-life tire powder in the production of bitumen for bituminous mixtures, making it the first autonomous community to introduce and consolidate this practice, and the one that employs the highest volume nationally. This innovation not only gives a second life to an industrial byproduct but also provides pavements with greater durability, thermal resistance, and less tendency to crack and deform, improving technical performance and reducing maintenance costs in the medium and long term. Moreover, aware of the environmental impact of material transportation, the Junta includes in its tenders the requirement that mixture manufacturing plants be located within a maximum distance of 100 kilometers from the worksite, significantly reducing CO₂ emissions associated with their transport. The commitment to alternative materials also extends to the use of natural additives, such as pumice, a byproduct of olive oil refining that reduces both energy consumption in mixture manufacturing and emissions of smoke and odors during application. These measures materialize in specific projects developed with the concessionaire of the Segovian section of the A-601 motorway. Additionally, trial sections have been executed with bituminous mixtures incorporating recycled aggregate extracted from the infrastructure itself. Furthermore, on the A-601, in the eight kilometers closest to Valladolid, the pavement has been renewed with semi-hot bituminous mixture incorporating 15% recycled asphalt pavement, recovered from flexible pavements that have been milled. These R&D&I initiatives will allow evaluating the long-term behavior of the pavement and reinforce the Junta’s commitment to responsible resource management, reducing dependence on external materials and advancing towards a more sustainable road conservation model.