Sacyr News Las carreteras más extremas del mundo

Las carreteras más extremas del mundo

Desde precipicios vertiginosos en los Andes hasta rutas sobre lagos congelados en el Ártico. Este es un recorrido por los trazados más peligrosos del planeta donde cada kilómetro es un pulso constante entre el riesgo y la supervivencia.

02/02/2026

ISABEL RUBIO ARROYO | Tungsteno

Las carreteras más extremas del mundo son rutas donde la ingeniería y el riesgo van de la mano. El Camino de los Yungas en Bolivia, con tramos estrechos junto a precipicios profundos, es uno de los más conocidos por su peligrosidad.

La Tianmen Mountain Road en China asciende una montaña a través de 99 curvas muy cerradas excavadas en la roca. En el Himalaya, pasos de gran altitud como el Khardung La, a más de 5.000 metros, obligan a conducir entre hielo, niebla y desprendimientos. En Canadá, las ice roads solo existen en invierno y atraviesan lagos congelados. Investigamos cuáles son las carreteras más extremas del mundo.

“La carretera de la muerte”

La Carretera de los Yungas, conocida como “la carretera de la muerte”, se encuentra en Bolivia y conecta La Paz con los valles subtropicales de los Yungas y la región amazónica. Con apenas 64 km de longitud y un descenso de 3.500 metros, es famosa por su peligrosidad: el camino es estrecho, con tramos de apenas 3 metros, curvas cerradas, giros a ciegas y casi sin barandillas.

Los conductores se enfrentan a precipicios de entre 400 y 1.000 metros, niebla densa, lodo y cascadas que hacen la superficie resbaladiza. Algunos medios estiman que esta carretera pudo haber causado entre 200 y 300 muertes al año. A pesar de los riesgos, atrae cada año a unos 25.000 visitantes, incluyendo ciclistas y motociclistas, que desafían los baches, el tráfico y el peligro constante de los acantilados

La Carretera de los Yungas desafía a conductores y ciclistas con sus estrechos tramos. Crédito: World Travel Guide.

Una “avenida hacia el cielo”

La Tianmen Mountain Road, conocida como la “Avenida hacia el Cielo” o la carretera de las 99 curvas, se encuentra en el Parque Nacional de la Montaña Tianmen, en Hunan, China. Este trayecto de 11 km asciende desde la base hasta la Plaza de la Cueva, alcanzando aproximadamente 1.100 metros de altitud.

Es considerada una de las carreteras más peligrosas del mundo por sus curvas muy cerradas, tramos estrechos junto a precipicios, y niebla frecuente. La ruta solo es adecuada para conductores experimentados debido a la proximidad al abismo y la falta de margen de seguridad. Además, se ha convertido en una atracción turística y en escenario de competiciones de ciclismo y carreras de montaña.

Su paisaje inspiró a James Cameron para las montañas de Avatar.

La Tianmen Mountain Road es conocida como la Avenida hacia el Cielo. Crédito: Travel and home.

Uno de los pasos de montaña más peligrosos del mundo

El Khardung La, ubicado en la región de Ladakh, en India, es uno de los pasos de montaña más famosos y desafiantes del mundo. Se encuentra a 5.359 metros (17.582 pies) sobre el nivel del mar. El aire a gran altitud expone a los viajeros al Mal Agudo de Montaña (AMS). Además, la carretera es estrecha, resbaladiza y en varios tramos se encuentra en malas condiciones, con secciones de un solo carril donde el tráfico pesado y los convoyes militares pueden provocar retrasos y accidentes.

Además, el clima y los riesgos geológicos aumentan la dificultad: avalanchas, desprendimientos de rocas y fuertes nevadas son frecuentes, y el paso permanece cerrado varios meses del año. El aislamiento y la logística hacen que el paso sea aún más difícil. No hay atención médica en toda la ruta y los servicios en la cima son muy limitados. Además, al estar cerca de las fronteras con Pakistán y China, hay mucha presencia militar y algunos viajeros necesitan un permiso especial para poder cruzarlo.

En el Khardung La suele haber presencia militar. Crédito: Vyacheslav Argenberg / Creative Commons.

Una carretera sobre el hielo

La Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road, en los Territorios del Noroeste y Nunavut, Canadá, es la carretera de transporte pesado sobre hielo más larga del mundo. Tiene entre 400 y 600 kilómetros y conecta Tibbitt Lake, cerca de Yellowknife, con minas de diamantes como Ekati, Diavik y Gahcho Kué. Es una ruta estacional, reconstruida cada año desde diciembre y operativa solo entre febrero y finales de marzo. El 85% del recorrido está sobre lagos congelados y el 15% restante cruza tierra firme en tramos cortos.

Pese a que es una de las carreteras mejor gestionadas y más seguras de Norteamérica debido a su estricta vigilancia, se considera peligrosa por varias razones: el hielo debe alcanzar al menos 74 centímetros para abrirse y 100 centímetros para soportar cargas completas. Los camiones cargados tienen un límite de velocidad de 25 kilómetros por hora.

Los conductores pueden enfrentar tormentas de nieve, vientos fuertes y visibilidad nula. El trayecto puede durar entre 14 y 18 horas en aislamiento total. Una de las principales amenazas para esta carretera es el cambio climático, que puede acortar la temporada operativa o debilitar el hielo.

El camino de la Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road depende totalmente del espesor del hielo. Crédito: Steven TenHave.

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Sacyr News Four modern cities with secret tunnels

The history of the Catacombs of Paris dates back to the late 18th century. Credit: Paris Musées

Four modern cities with secret tunnels

From war bunkers and espionage tunnels to monumental ossuaries, major metropolises have fascinating underground worlds. We explore the tunnels hidden beneath Berlin, London, Paris, and New York.

12/01/2026

ISABEL RUBIO ARROYO | Tungsteno

Many modern cities conceal beneath their streets a vast network of secret tunnels that serve various purposes, ranging from former shelters and military command centres to historic ossuaries. Cities like Berlin, London, Paris, and New York reveal that urban life and history extend beyond the surface. Their depths hold a captivating heritage of wartime bunkers, espionage routes, and abandoned infrastructure.

Berlin

Berlin's tunnels have historically served as strategic refuges and military command centres, preserving stories from the Second World War through the Cold War. Several associations are dedicated to exploring and documenting these underground spaces, offering guided access to iconic air-raid shelters and bunkers. Their aim is to show how the city prepared for conflict and how these structures protected its inhabitants during times of crisis.

Beyond shelters, escape tunnels tell stories of ingenuity and resistance. More than 70 tunnels were built beneath the Berlin Wall, enabling some 300 people to flee from East to West. The city’s subterranean past also hides other disused infrastructure, such as abandoned railway tunnels and even former brewery warehouses.

During the Cold War, some tunnels were used as escape routes. Credit: DW Euromaxx

London

The Kingsway Exchange tunnels complex, which stretches across 8,000 square metres beneath High Holborn, was built during the Second World War to protect Londoners during the Blitz. Although it was never used for that purpose, the site hosted the Special Operations Executive (SOE), Winston Churchill's wartime espionage organisation. James Bond author Ian Fleming worked regularly with the SOE in this labyrinth of tunnels, which may have inspired Q Branch in his famous novels.

The tunnels remained strategically important after the war. During the Cold War, they functioned as a strategic communications hub. Following the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, the complex served as a relay point for the famous “red telephone” hotline between the Pentagon and the Kremlin. A government bunker was also built for use in the event of a nuclear attack. Today, there are plans to open the site to the public as a tourist attraction, featuring a military intelligence museum, an exhibition on espionage, and a bar marketed as “the deepest bar in the world in a city.”

The passages that protected London during the Second World War.

Paris

Much of the Parisian subsoil consists of nearly 200 miles (about 320 kilometres) of limestone quarries, originally excavated to build the city. Part of this network forms the Paris Catacombs, one of the largest ossuaries in the world. They contain the remains of some six million Parisians and have been dubbed "the empire of death." These abandoned quarries are sometimes visited illegally by "urban explorers," who have been known to organise secret underground nightclubs and cinemas.

Paris also boasts a complex sewer system spanning 1,662 miles (around 2,675 kilometres), modernised in the 19th century and historically used as escape routes for criminals. The metro network also includes four “ghost” stations closed since the Second World War. Other underground points of interest include a secret military bunker near the Eiffel Tower and the basement of the Opéra Garnier, which houses a real underground lake.

The catacombs of Paris lie 20 metres underground, with 243 steps and 2,000 metres of tunnels. Credit: Paris Musées

New York

In 2024, an illegal tunnel was discovered in Brooklyn, New York, beneath the Chabad-Lubavitch headquarters in Crown Heights, a busy Jewish site that welcomes thousands of visitors a year. The 60-foot (18-metre) tunnel was dug clandestinely and without structural reinforcements, causing destabilisation under the synagogue sanctuary. Due to safety concerns, New York City issued an emergency order to stabilise the building.

Illegal tunnel discovered beneath an historic synagogue in Brooklyn, New York. Credit: Eyewitness News ABC7NY

The evidence suggests the tunnel was constructed by a group of students known as the Tzfatim, who sought to expand the synagogue in accordance with the vision of their deceased leader, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. When police arrived to inspect the tunnel, clashes broke out with members of the community. The altercation resulted in nine arrests on charges including criminal damage, reckless endangerment, and obstruction of government administration.

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Sacyr News Belfast Grand Central Station: a new, modern, and sustainable transport hub

Belfast Grand Central Station: a new, modern, and sustainable transport hub

The new transport hub will have 26 bus stops and 8 train platforms that will improve connections with the rest of the region

Belfast Transport Hub

Sacyr Engineering and Infrastructure

23/06/2022

In a joint venture with Farrans, we have delivered the main construction works of the new Belfast Grand Central Station Interchange in Belfast (Northern Ireland) within 4 years.

The new transport hub replaces the current Europa bus center and Great Victoria Street train station in an eight-hectare site in Weavers Cross, a new neighborhood in the center of the city that will contribute to the regeneration of that area.

This facility is a multimodal transport hub with 26 bus stops, 8 train platforms, as well as bike lanes that will foster sustainable mobility in the city and enhance connectivity in the region. It also includes design and construction elements to promote efficient mobility, respect for the environment and energy conservation.

This project, awarded by Translink, the public transport services operator in Northern Ireland will bring numerous social and collaborative initiatives with the community to regenerate the area and it will create 500 jobs during construction.

For Duane McCreadie, Project director of Farrans-Sacyr JV on the project "Belfast Transport Hub will be crucial in shaping the future of the city and promoting sustainable transport. Social value will play a significant role during construction, and we will be engaging closely with community groups, charities and schools to create local employment, training, and apprenticeship opportunities to deliver a positive and lasting impact".

Belfast Grand Central Station started bus line services in September 2024, and continues to make progress towards the full opening of rail services.

More information about Belfast Grand Central at: https://www.translink.co.uk/corporate/media/improvementsandprojects/thehub

Check out the project book

HECTARES

BUS STOPS

500

JOBS

Full marks on CSS audit

Farrans Sacyr joint venture score full marks following a Considerate Constructors Scheme monitoring visit, which assesses and scores how well a site is doing under the three main areas of the Code: respecting the community, caring for the environment and valuing their workforce.

The report noted that this was “an impressive score, evidenced though the significant investment in the community, environment and workforce".

Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS) helps improve the image of construction, by supporting and driving positive change in the industry through its Code of Considerate Practice and independent monitoring of sites.

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Sustainability at the core

The centre is also being built with sustainability at its core. It will be fully electric from day one, designed to meet the highest environmental standards, and constructed using low-carbon and locally sourced materials wherever possible.

As the project moves into the next stage of construction, more of the internal fit-out will start alongside preparing the building for commissioning ahead of its opening in Spring 2027.

Sacyr News Clean Air in Underground Construction

Clean Air in Underground Construction

Air quality is critical in underground construction. That’s why we have strengthened our monitoring systems and continuously measure respirable crystalline silica levels, placing the health and safety of our workforce at the forefront.

29/01/2026

Mining and underground works involve the presence of crystalline silica, a naturally occurring mineral known to be carcinogenic. To address this risk, we have implemented a continuous, real-time monitoring system designed to protect the professionals working on our projects.

Royal Decree 1154/2020 classified Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) as a carcinogenic agent, significantly reinforcing employers’ obligations in the field of occupational health and safety. In addition, the General Regulations on Basic Mining Safety Standards require an accredited Administration Collaborating Entity (ECA) to take dust samples every four months at workstations where there is a risk of exposure.

Our Health and Safety Department has gone beyond regulatory requirements by deploying a mobile system for continuous, real-time silica monitoring: the AIR S Silica Monitor.

“Having access to real-time data raises awareness of RCS exposure for both workers and management,” explains David Barreda, Prevention Manager at Sacyr Engineering and Infrastructure in Northern Spain.

Crystalline silica is a very common mineral found in rocks, sand, and soil. It is present in construction materials such as concrete and brick, as well as in activities like mining, quarrying, and construction. When its fine dust particles are inhaled, respirable crystalline silica becomes a serious health hazard, increasing the risk of lung cancer, silicosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The AIR S Silica Monitor was used during excavation works in the tunnels of the Access to the Outer Port of Langosteira project and will later be deployed during ballast spreading for track installation.

RCS levels can vary significantly depending on the stage of construction, with different exposure levels during blasting, debris removal, and drilling operations.

“This new system allows us to make informed decisions and continue reducing our employees’ exposure to RCS,” says David Barreda.

“The company is committed to protecting both our employees and our subcontractors. They value our concern for their health and the continuous control we maintain over the working environment,” he adds.

How the Monitor Works

The system analyzes multiple parameters in real time to detect RCS, including particle size, symmetry, and a range of unique optical markers characteristic of respirable crystalline silica particles.

At the same time, it uses optical refraction technology combined with light-scattering photometry, analyzing each sampled particle and classifying it according to its identifiable optical properties.

This approach allows the system to detect all forms of RCS — including alpha and beta quartz, cristobalite, and tridymite — across all relevant particle sizes within the respirable fraction.

The resulting data is combined with particle mass analysis to provide measurements in both mg/m³ and particles per liter.
Thanks to this comprehensive information, site management can make timely, well-informed decisions to ensure the safety of everyone working on the project.

Sacyr News Artificial Intelligence for Predicting Road Condition

Artificial Intelligence for Predicting Road Condition

The Apromac project allows us to estimate key road surface indicators. By integrating these indicators with external factors such as weather conditions, we obtain an accurate view of the actual condition of the roads, both in the short and long term.

16/12/2025

At Sacyr we build and maintain thousands of kilometers of road infrastructure around the world. Knowing its condition and anticipating its evolution is vital to guarantee its functionality and safety.

The Report on Investment Needs in Conservation 2025 of the Spanish Road Association estimates that the required amount to fine-tune the national road network is €13.5 Bn. This all-time record figure represents a 43% increase compared to 2022.

Recognizing this need, Sacyr is developing Apromac, a tool that predicts the state of road surfaces. To do this, we apply technologies such as Big Data and artificial intelligence to predict the evolution of the main parameters of the condition of road infrastructure.

"Not only do we use data from the infrastructure itself, but in the analysis we also incorporate standardized information from other Sacyr Concesiones roads and studies on the influence of factors like temperature and rainfall," explains Sergio Campos, project manager.

This tool allows us to improve planning through predictive models for deterioration indicators such as macrotexture, ruts (depressions in the wheel path), and the transverse friction coefficient (TFC), an indicator of skid resistance. In addition, various types of models have been trained and validated to identify which one offers greater accuracy in predictions.

The first project milestone was reached at the end of 2023 and the second is planned for the end of 2025.

Apromac was developed using data from several roads managed by Sacyr: Ruta del Desierto and Limarí (Chile); Turia, Pamasa, Eresma and Aunor (Spain); Pamplona-Cúcuta (Colombia); and Pirámides-Tulancingo-Pachuca (Mexico).

This project has a €500,000 budget and will run until December 31, 2025. Once completed, Sacyr Concesiones will have an advanced tool for long-term prediction of road behavior.

Apromac is co-financed by the European Union, with funding from European Funds, the Spanish Ministry of Finance, and CDTI through the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.

In the future, this tool will have two major impacts: it will allow for better-informed reinvestment strategies in road tenders, considering factors such as project year and financial impact; and it will facilitate monitoring in the operation phase, enabling more efficient planning and execution of necessary road maintenance based on predicted degradation.

The Binningup Desalination Plant, in Perth, is one of our star projects in Australia. In fact, winning this contract opened the door to this strategic market for us. This desalination plant has been operating for over 15 years and is recognized as one of the best in the world, winning the title ‘Desalination Plant of the Year’ in 2012.

Our first steps in Australia

Innovation is our hallmark

We believe in innovation as a responsible and sustainable business management model. In Australia, we develop infrastructures capable of exponentially improving integrated water cycle processes. We currently run the Binningup Desalination Plant.