Vazquez Gallego Eutychius
Alvaro Ramirez Gomez
engineers
Department of Construction and Rural Roads
ETSI Agronomists
Polytechnic University of Madrid

Ayuga Francisco Tellez
Doctor Agronomist
Professor of Construction and Rural Roads
ETSI Agronomists
Polytechnic University of Madrid

Joaquin Segura Graíño
Ingeniero de Caminos, Canales y Puertos
TRAGSA

ABSTRACT
The rural road system is fundamental to support the Spanish primary sector, which also represents the 64,9% of the total length of the national road system infrastructure. The functions performed are numerous and often little known, as when used by fire-fighting services or access to areas of tourist or recreational interest. At other times, they supplement even own road functions, since they constitute the only means of communication between different populations. However, there is a certain abandonment of these routes of low intensity traffic, embodied in the identified deficiencies in its conservation and in the absence of specific legislation and management plans. In this paper, the authors present the current situation of Spanish rural road system and its peculiarities, while propose alternatives for their management and conservation, with special emphasis on funding mechanisms.

KEYWORDS
Rural road, maintenance, management, financing.