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New secure truck park planned near France-Spain border

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A new secure truck parking facility is to be built on the southbound side of the AP-8 motorway near Astigarraga in the Spanish Basque Country, close to the French border. The site, named Astigarraga Norte, will add 152 lorry spaces and connect internally to the existing northbound platform of the Astigarraga-Oiartzun Integrated Transport Centre (CIT).

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Bidegi S.A., the publicly owned company managing the project, was expected to approve the construction tender in May 2025. As of early June, no formal announcement has been made regarding the contract award. The project has a base budget of €18.6 million (excluding VAT) and an execution period of 30 months from the date of contract signing.

Located adjacent to kilometre 17.000 of the AP-8 motorway, the new park will increase total southbound capacity in the area to 336 spaces when combined with the 184 existing spaces at Oiartzun. The aim of the broader CIT initiative is to improve road safety and working conditions for drivers travelling along the Atlantic corridor of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).

The Astigarraga Norte site will occupy 34,600 m² and include 110 spaces for articulated trucks up to 10.5 metres, 33 spaces for longer trucks over 20.5 metres, and nine spaces for vehicles up to 17.5 metres. Two sanitary blocks with toilets and showers are also planned.

Both platforms—northbound and southbound—will be connected via a 14-metre-wide underpass with a clearance of 5.5 metres, facilitating access for both vehicles and pedestrians. Drivers using the new facility will also be able to reach the existing services at Astigarraga, including a restaurant, supermarket, showers, lounge areas, and a lorry wash tunnel.

The new park is designed to meet EU Gold standard security requirements, including anti-climb fencing, CCTV with continuous recording, and number plate recognition systems at entry and exit points.

Bidegi’s General Director, Alfredo Etxeberria, noted the strategic importance of such infrastructure: “Every day, goods worth billions of euros are transported across roads forming part of the trans-European transport network, which is the backbone of the EU economy.” He added that secure parking areas are essential for improving driver working conditions and cargo safety.

The Astigarraga and Oiartzun truck parks have been operational since January 2022 and are both certified at the EU Gold level. Once completed, Astigarraga Norte will be managed by the same operator, with short-term parking available and the first hour free of charge.

Within a 17-kilometre stretch near the French border, the three CIT platforms will offer a combined total of 677 truck parking spaces.

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