The project, funded by the Science and Innovation Missions Programme (CDTI), is being carried out by a consortium led by SisTem and with the participation of Sacyr Conservation, Alsa, Vodafone, Anteral and Grupo Infonorte. With a budget of four million euros, it was launched in October 2024 and will last until December 2025.

A safer, more connected and smarter road

Iconica's objective is clear: to transform road infrastructure into active components of mobility.

To this end, the consortium is working on solutions that:

•    Improve road safety through smart and predictive technologies.
•    Facilitate real-time communication between vehicles and infrastructure over 5G networks.
•    Integrate elements such as intelligent beacons, capable of transmitting alerts or even modifying the use of lanes depending on traffic.
•    Increase the protection of vulnerable users, such as roadside workers, through their geolocation and communication to digital navigation platforms.

The role of Sacyr Conservation

Within the Iconica project, Sacyr Maintenance leads two key lines of research. On the one hand, it develops IoT geopositioning devices to signal temporary or mobile works, which will be integrated into the STEP (Safer Transport for Europe Platform) platform.

Secondly, it investigates flexible beacons, which allow additional lanes to be opened or closed remotely, based on traffic prediction algorithms that use data from the infrastructure and the connected vehicles themselves.

"We already have a prototype of beacons installed in a project in Huelva to study their resistance to the passage of heavy vehicles and the effects of heat, rain and dust," explains Álex Otero, innovation project manager at Sacyr Engineering and Infrastructures.

Iconica is integrated into Vodafone's STEP mobility platform, which centralizes data and informs drivers about incidents on the road, such as workers, objects on the side of the road or stationary machinery.

The data and incidents collected are communicated to STEP and also shared with DGT 3.0 (Spanish Traffic Authority), which makes it possible for applications such as Google Maps, Waze or Here to alert drivers of possible risks on their route.

Another of Sacyr Conservation's lines of work focuses on traffic modelling and prediction. The behavior of traffic on the A-3 is currently being analyzed with the aim of planning works, causing as few disruptions as possible to users and anticipating traffic jams.

"The most important thing for Sacyr Conservation is to improve safety and protect people who work on the road, geolocate them and alert drivers in real time," adds Álex Otero.

Patricia Muñoz Pequeño
Sustainability Manager
Strategy, Innovation and Sustainability Division

In hindsight, sustainability reporting has undergone significant changes in recent years. Gone are the days when companies like Sacyr, with unwavering commitment and sensitivity to these issues, voluntarily provide information relevant to their ESG strategies and performance using internationally recognised frameworks, with GRI at the forefront.

With the adoption of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NRFD) in 2014, and its Spanish transposition in Law 11/2018, sustainability reporting became a legal obligation and, since that time, the importance of these reports has only grown.  

In 2023, with the goal of defining a clear framework for sustainability reporting that would ensure the quality of the information published, data comparability, and the consistency of the information shared by companies, the European Union approved a new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) with common reporting standards known as the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS).

But misgivings and opposition to this new regulation soon arose from the private sector; first, due to the technical complexity and breadth of its requirements and the difficulty of implementing them, highlighting the need for further clarification in certain areas, as well as greater flexibility in their application. 

Secondly, the smaller companies affected expressed doubts about their capacity to comply with this new regulation using their own resources and the potential damage that would be caused by the additional costs required for this purpose. 

The foregoing is paired with a deeper reflection on the part of the European Union; in a complex international environment facing major global changes, ensuring the autonomy, competitiveness, and resilience of the European economy without abandoning the sustainability commitments it has made, has become more crucial than ever.  

This has prompted the EU to redefine its roadmap, while keeping its ambition intact, as demonstrated by i) the strategy of the Green Industrial Deal, designed to strengthen the competitiveness of European industry while accelerating decarbonisation, and ii) the Omnibus Package, the main objective of which is to reduce the administrative burden on companies when reviewing various sustainability regulations, without renouncing the principles of the European Green Deal. 

From a reporting perspective, the Omnibus Package affects CSRD requirements as follows: 

-    Simplification of standards, reducing the number of requirements and providing greater technical clarity in their application. These texts are expected to be available in Q4 of 2025. 
-    Two-year postponement of entry into force for companies, allowing more time to adapt. 
-    Redefinition of application thresholds, excluding listed SMEs and modifying the ranges for the rest. 
-    Maintenance of limited assurance, eliminating the possibility of reasonable assurance in the future.  

In short, 2025 marks a turning point in this area, reflecting the European Union’s commitment to moving toward a more sustainable economy without jeopardising business competitiveness.  

We are in Palencia, in the works of the high speed section of 20.7km Palencia Norte - Amusco, belonging to the Palencia-Aguilar de Campoo HSR line.

Here we have developed a Krainer type retaining wall with disused concrete sleepers from the old Palencia railroad line. Do you want to know how?

Jorge, Rebeca and Luis tell us about the challenges involved in creating the Krainer wall with reused concrete sleepers instead of traditional wooden logs and the positive impact we generated. The main function of this innovative structure is to stabilize slopes and mitigate erosion problems.

Rewatch other Circular Transformation installments.

The materials passport is a unique digital document that gathers detailed information on each material used in a project, including its description, quality certifications, technical specifications, and geographical origin. This tool makes it possible to calculate the carbon footprint and optimize resource management throughout the entire life cycle of the product.

The pilot was carried out at the prefabricated bathroom factory in Jumilla (Murcia), in collaboration with the startup Cuatro Digital and suppliers such as Pladur and Canteras y Hormigones. The primary aim was to establish a blockchain-based methodology to guarantee the traceability of materials used in modular bathroom production.

“This system collects key information on every material, allowing us to measure its environmental impact and generate precise traceability reports,” explains Patricia Díaz, Innovation Business Partner with Sacyr Engineering and Infrastructure.

The bathrooms produced with this methodology were supplied to the NODE housing development in Carabanchel (Madrid). Thanks to this solution, it has been possible to:

• Connect the different stakeholders across the value chain during the industrialized construction process.
• Ensure efficient management of resources.
• Advance toward more sustainable operations through a secure platform that provides insights into material lifespan and reuse potential.

Recognized by Madrid City Council

The development of this pilot was made possible thanks to an award from Madrid City Council, granted in the first edition of the “Blockchain and Advanced Technologies Projects” competition. In this call, Cuatro Digital, presented by Sacyr, was selected as the winner.

These awards seek to recognize and support startups and professionals that stand out for proposing innovative solutions based on disruptive technologies.

Next steps: scaling up and regulatory alignment

Following the success of the pilot, we are now focused on scaling the model to other projects and construction processes. This work aligns with the European regulatory framework, which in the coming years will require detailed information on the materials used in all buildings within the European Union.

“We are working to scale up this solution and get ahead of upcoming European regulatory requirements,” concludes Patricia Díaz.