This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at Cómo conservar las carreteras y responder a la vez al desafío medioambiental

Specialists analyse/analyze in Tenerife measured to protect the surroundings during the works of maintenance

How conserve the roads and answer at the same time to the environmental challenge

Editorial Interempresas19/10/2011

19 October 2011

The respectful practices with the surroundings that are applying in the field of the maintenance of roads and how the norm ISO 14.001 has revolutionised/revolutionized this ecological commitment of road conservation. They are two of the subjects that have treated in the Technical Day of Environmental Management of the Agreements of Conservation, celebrated recently in Tenerife (18 October). The meeting has promoted it the Association of Companies of Conservation and Exploitation of Infrastructures (Acex) and has organised/organized it the Spanish Association of the Road (AEC), with the collaboration of the companies Traysesa and Villar, and the support of the Cabildo of Tenerife.

Of left to right: Carlos M. Escartín, president of Acex; José Luis Thin, insular adviser of Area with special delegation in Roads and Landscape of the Cabildo Insular of Tenerife; and José Suárez, territorial delegate in Canaries of AEC.

To the previous subjects debated add others, like the reuse of determinate materials for the repair of firm, the works of protection of surroundings with special environmental value, the vialidad wintry and his impact in the territory, as well as the most adapted indicators for an optimum environmental management.

And after the process of construction, what?

The organisers/organizers of the day stand out that when it speaks of the environmental impact of the road activity, the attention is used to to centre/center in the process of construction, especially, in big works of infrastructures like viaducts or tunnels. Inciden In that, however, once that the roads are opened to the traffic, the works for his maintenance also have an important paper that exert in the no afección of the surroundings.

Like this, the suitable management of the waste that generate in the operations of maintenance —especially the dangerous waste—, the reuse of materials in the bituminous mixes, the new technicians for the recycled of firm, the saving of energy in the works and other a lot of specific measures make possible to minimise/minimize the impact of the works of conservation on the territory.

Norma ISO 14.001

In this sense, the progressive implantation of the norm ISO 14.001 in the agreements of conservation has been essential to elevate still more the degree of commitment of the sector, adapting it to the requests of the 21st century. This no fixed certification put environmental concrete but it establishes the tools and systems that allow to optimise/optimize the processes of production of any industry to minimise/minimize his footprint in the surroundings, in addition to fulfilling/fulfilling with all the existent rule in matter of environment.

The meeting has had a significant importance in Tenerife, and in general in the Canary Islands, when being territories with a high ecological value.

The norm ISO 14.001 has revolutionised/revolutionized the ecological commitment of the conservation of roads and is resulting fundamental in the put in practice of technicians like the recycled of waste in the maintenance of the firm.

A territory with high ecological value

The meeting has had a very significant importance in Tenerife, and in general in the Canary Islands, a territory with a high ecological value that demands a road management especially exhaustive in environmental matter. The peculiarities of the archipelago in matter of road conservation were treated in the report ‘Performances in conservation in some surroundings protected', of Josefina Hernández Márquez, boss of section of Environment of the Cabildo of Tenerife.

To the institutional support that has received the day, by part of the cabildo of the island, it is necessary to add the one of the companies of conservation of roads: Alvac, Asphalts and Constructions Elsan, Audeca, FCC, Ferroser, Imesapi, Sacyr, Traysesa and Villar, Management of Infrastructures. All these companies attended to the meeting to contribute his points of view on questions like prevention of fires, environmental indicators of road management and new tendencies ecological, as well as to give to know real cases of environmental best practices, as, for example, the collected of the excedentes of brine.