The first images of this highway’s history were still in black and white. Still, the bridges and tunnels on the highway between Bilbao and Behobia have held up well through the arrival of color photography.
Built in the 1970s, what is now the AP-8 marked a milestone in Spanish civil engineering. It marked a before and after in Ferrovial’s history as the first time the company undertook a construction project of that size for transportation infrastructure.
The highway between Bilbao (one of Spain’s major industrial centers) and Behobia in Irún was also the Iberian Peninsula’s first major land connection with France. It coincided with the opening of the connection through the Mediterranean from Barcelona to La Junquera. The over 100 kilometers of motorway built in the ’70s was a giant leap forward for the Basque Country and much of northern Spain.
Bringing this project to life entailed excavating over 25 million cubic meters of soil and rock. More than half a million cubic meters of concrete and just as many tons of asphalt agglomerate were used. Three bridges and 23 viaducts were also built. Facilities were set up to make piles and beams near the construction site. The work involved techniques and technologies that were still cutting-edge in those years.
Today, the highway between Irún and Bilbao has extended beyond the Basque Country. It’s part of the Cantabrian highway, a road connecting the entire northern coast of Spain from Lugo to the French border.
We use first and third-party cookies, which are necessary for the website's correct functioning, and which allow us to analyse your browsing and offer you several functionalities within the website. For further information, please check our Cookies Policy. In order to accept all the cookies, click ACCEPT ALL; in order to refuse them or change your settings, click COOKIES SETTINGS.
This website uses first and third-party cookies, which are necessary for the website’s correct functioning, and which allow us to analyse your browsing and offer you several functionalities within the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.