On 24 October, the Minister of Public Works, Ana Pastor, attended the opening ceremony of the Solares-La Encina section of the FCC-built A-8 Cantabrian Motorway.

The Minister of Public Works was accompanied by the President of the Autonomous Community of Cantabria, Miguel Ángel Revilla and other public figures. Attending on behalf of FCC were Miguel Jurado, Chairman of FCC Construcción, as well as managers from the north area.

The Solares-La Encina section begins at the Solares interchange, which connects with the A-8 motorway and the S10 east penetration road to Santander, and finishes in the surrounding areas of La Encina where it connects with the La Encina-Torrelavaga section. It has 3 interchanges: Solares, San Vitores and Penagos.

Insofar as structures are concerned, four viaducts have been built: La Llama, El Encinal, Pámanes y Suscuaja, six overpasses and 10 underpasses.

This new section, along with the operating La Encina-Torrelavaga stretch, completes the Cantabrian motorway and consolidates the integration of the Cantabrian coast and significantly improves internal services, whilst enabling the connection with central Europe through the French border at Irún.

Traffic along the new A-8 motorway will represent a significant increase in road safety and driving comfort, as well as an approximate time gain of 14 minutes on their journey compared to the current N-634 road.