The new Pierre Loti bike and pedestrian route in Irun boosts cross-border sustainable mobility

03/02/2025

This new 1.2-km route will foster the mobility of cyclists and pedestrians on both sides of the border connecting Hondarribia, Irun and Hendaye.

The project, rolled out by the Basque Government, comes under the 'Master Plan to Restore and Improve the Connectivity of the Natural Areas around Txingudi Bay', and has had a budget of €3.4 million. The work for the new route also includes a parking area to serve Ekoetxea and Plaiaundi High School. 

The Basque Government has opened the new Pierre Loti cycle and pedestrian route in Irun; it runs along 1.2 km from Plaiaundi to Iparralde Hiribidea, next to the Ekoetxea environmental centre. The budget for the new route came to €3.4 million and is divided into two sections.

The work for the phase from the Pierre Loti pathway to the access to the ADIR railway platform was minimum, as the existing paved surface was widened, using the existing berms and erecting new fencing. During the second phase, from the railway platform entrance to Iparralde Hiribidea, the cycling and pedestrian route was built along the edge of the bay; it was laid out to connect to the existing bidegorri [bike lane] upstream from the Santiago bridge. Timber decking on micropiles driven into the river bed was designed to be able to cross the international bridges. 

The Basque Government's Minister for Industry, the Energy Transition and Sustainability, Mikel Jauregi, the Gipukzoa Councillor for Sustainability, Jose Ignacio Asensio, and the Mayor of Irun, Cristina Laborda attended the opening of the new cycle and pedestrian route. They were accompanied by Josu Bilbao, Deputy Minister for the Environment, and Adolfo Uriarte, the Basque Government's Director of Natural Heritage and Climate Change.

The total length of the Pierre Loti pedestrian and cycle route is 1.2 km, with an average width of 3.5 metres and with practically no slopes at surface level. The decking to cross the international bridges has gentle slopes between 6% and 3%, to connect with the height of the existing urbanisation. 

Apart from the new route, a new car park has also been built to improve the needs of the users of the ecological park, as well as for Plaiaundi High School. Situated opposite the Ekoetxea environment centre, the car park has 32 places for vehicles and a landscaped area with perimeter pavements, along with a bike stand next to the entrance to the car park from the GI-636. Plants and permeable paving have been used for the car parks and pedestrian areas. 

This work comes under the 'Master Plan to Restore and Improve the Connectivity of the Natural Areas around Txingudi Bay', which – while never overlooking the environmental perspective – sets out the inter-institutional agreement to foster cyclable and urban connectivity between Hendaye, Irun and Hondarribia around the estuary. It is a cross-border connection, linking the two banks of the River Bidasoa. 

As Minister Mikel Jauregi stressed, "the new Pierre Loti cycle and pedestrian route is a step forward in the commitment to sustainable mobility in the cross-border setting; where priority is being given to routes on foot and by bike, and to improving the connectivity between Hondarribia, Irun and Hendaye. Commitment to sustainable mobility is fundamental, given climate change, and we are talking about boosting alternative means of mobility to the private vehicle; in short, a project based on 'fewer emissions'. We can also not overlook that it is an ambitious environmental restoration project, as the views from Amute bridge and along the edge of Plaiaundi encourage greater awareness of a splendid natural landscape, without going further than the natural areas of the estuary '. 

In turn, the Sustainability Councillor, José Ignacio Asensio, stressed the importance of the new bidegorri [bike lane]: 'This type of infrastructure is fundamental to reduce the use of the car, lower emissions and foster healthy lifestyles, while bringing life back to our cities and strengthening links between communities. Gipuzkoa's Provincial Government's Sustainability Department has undertaken to provide the lighting, involving an investment of €310,000, to guarantee that those spaces are healthy, sustainable and safe, particularly for women and older people. Once the transfer of the bidegorri has been formalised, we will start the work this very spring'.

As Mayor Cristina Laborda pointed out, 'we have been encouraging new forms of sustainable mobility in Irun for years now. They are policies that affect our everyday lives, as we are aware that it is the path that we must take. This new pedestrian and cycle connection will be highly beneficial for the citizens, not only of Irun, but of the Bidasoa supramunicipal district, including, of course, the residents of Hendaye, as it is that cross-border nature which forges links among us'.

A commitment for connectivity in the Txingudi area

The work has been carried out in the heart of the Hendaye, Irun and Hondarribia conurbation, with 95,000 inhabitants along the Bidasoa estuary; the area is also fragmented by the large infrastructures to be found there. 

The Txingudi Bay environment – including Jaizubia in Hondarribia, Plaiaundi, the Bidasoa Isles and banks of the Bidasoa river in Irun – has been declared a SAC Area (Special Area of Conservation) and a SPA Area (Special Protection Area) within the European Natura 2000 Network. It is also a Wetland of International Importance according to the Ramsar Convention. It is therefore a place of high environmental quality given its natural habitats and the flora and fauna species to be found there. The project for the new route has therefore been implemented in an area of high ecological value ensuring maximum respect for the natural heritage. 

In May 2015, the Basque Government unveiled the 'Master Plan to Restore and Improve the Connectivity of the Natural Areas around Txingudi Bay'. Taking the environmental aspect into account, the different goals in the master plan agreed by the different authorities involved included fostering the cycling and urban connectivity between Hendaye, Irun and Hondarribia along the estuary. It is a cross-border connection, between the two banks of the Bidasoa river, and a commitment to sustainable mobility.

The project has not been free of difficulties, as after drafting the first construction project, different technical difficulties hindering the implementation of the planned work were discovered (existing services without a precise location, the piling proving hard to execute, disruption of the rail traffic). Therefore, the decision was made to draft an alternative project based on a solution using decking under the international bridges. In 2022, an updated version of the project was contracted and work began at the end of 2023, and a year later, the route came into service at the start of 2025.