La Rioja approves the LR-340 bypass in Manjarrés

The Government of La Rioja has definitively approved the public information file and the informative study for the bypass of the LR-340 road in Manjarrés, selecting Alternative 1 as the route to be developed and authorizing the General Directorate of Infrastructure to draft the corresponding preliminary project or project. This is established by Resolution 710/2026, of September 3, from the Department of Local Policy, Infrastructure and the Fight against Depopulation, published in the Official Gazette of La Rioja number 178, of September 16, 2026, within section III of Other Provisions and Acts.

The resolution, signed by Councilor Daniel Osés Ramírez, concludes a long administrative process initiated in December 2025, when the company DH Proyectos de Ingeniería, S.L.P. drafted the informative study with three alternative routes. The document includes the general layout of the selected alternative as an annex and forwards the final version of the study to the General Directorate of Urbanism and Housing and the Manjarrés City Council.

A process with wide participation

The study was provisionally approved by Resolution 764, of February 4, 2026, which opened the official public information process, announced in the Official Gazette of La Rioja number 26, of February 9, 2026. During the established period, observations were received from numerous agencies and entities:

• Ebro Hydrographic Confederation
• General Directorate of Environmental Quality, Climate Change and Water
• General Directorate of Natural Environment and Landscape
• General Directorate of Culture
• General Directorate of Emergencies and Civil Protection
• Manjarrés City Council
• Water and Waste Consortium of La Rioja
• Friends of the Earth and Ecologistas en Acción
• Río Yalde Hunters’ Society and Riojan Party (PR+Riojan@s)
• A total of 56 allegations from private individuals

The process also served as the public information period for the environmental document, as it corresponded to the application of the simplified environmental assessment procedure. The Environmental Impact Report was formulated by the General Directorate of Environmental Quality, Climate Change and Water through Resolution 199/2026, of May 15, published in the Official Gazette of La Rioja number 93, of May 19, 2026.

Alternative 1, the chosen route

After analyzing the allegations and the environmental impact report, the Construction and Projects Service issued a single report on August 26, 2026, which defined Alternative 1 as the most advantageous overall. This is a bypass of approximately 2,460 meters that skirts Manjarrés to the east of its urban center:

• It begins at kilometer point 1+900 of the current LR-340, connected via a T-junction located approximately 200 meters north of the urban center.
• It borders the municipal cemetery to the north and crosses the unnamed stream (2420642).
• It connects with the current layout via a grade-level roundabout located approximately 500 meters south of the center.
• The cross-section consists of a 6-meter roadway and 0.5-meter shoulders, with a total restriction of access from adjacent properties.

The construction project will incorporate the necessary alignment adjustments between kilometer points 0+500 and 2+365 to reduce impacts on the stream, existing services, and private owners, while maintaining the overall conception of the alternative. It will also include grade-level crossings at points of good visibility and a new northern access to facilitate permeability and reduce agricultural travel.

Next steps

The approval of the preliminary project or project will implicitly include the declaration of public utility and the need for occupation provided for in Article 9 of Law 2/1991, of March 7, on Roads of the Autonomous Community of La Rioja. The document must include the conditions of the environmental impact report, the corrective measures, and the recommendations of the single report. The resolution ends the administrative process; an appeal for reversal may be filed within one month, or a contentious-administrative appeal may be filed before the High Court of Justice of La Rioja within two months.

With this approval, the LR-340 bypass clears the way to remove traffic from the urban center of Manjarrés, improving road safety and the quality of life for residents, who participated actively in the process with their submissions.

Source: Official Gazette of La Rioja, no. 178, September 16, 2026, section III. Other Provisions and Acts, page 15993 (official reference: BOR-A-20260916-III–3452).