The Madrid City Council and the developers of the future Formula 1 street circuit have encountered a rather unglamorous but crucial obstacle: a livestock trail. An old livestock trail runs through the IFEMA and M-11 area , and its route has been interrupted by the highway and the construction work planned for the new Grand Prix circuit. And that trail is protected by law; it has historical and administrative significance, and it cannot simply be eliminated just because the motorsports event demands it.
To resolve this conflict between sheep and race cars, the solution proposed by the City Council and the CAM, according to El Diario, involves building a large footbridge over the M-11 wide enough for pedestrians, cyclists, and livestock. In other words, a bridge specifically designed so that herds can continue to cross from one side of the highway to the other without encroaching on the roadway, while also integrating into the system of wildlife crossings planned as part of the Metropolitan Forest project. The bridge will be quite large, as it will have to span twelve lanes of traffic and ensure safe conditions.
A livestock trail to save F1 in Madrid
There is a compelling reason behind this decision: without ensuring the continuity of the livestock trail and without an acceptable solution for connecting the footpaths, the Formula 1 circuit could face serious legal and administrative problems. The footbridge thus becomes the key element that reconciles the protection of the livestock trail with the hosting of the Grand Prix. It is not merely an eye-catching piece of infrastructure, but a way to safeguard the project against complaints regarding the unauthorized rerouting of the livestock trail and against potential legal challenges that could jeopardize the circuit’s viability.
This has been a source of debate and criticism from the opposition. Antonio Giraldo, the PSOE’s spokesperson on urban planning, the environment, and mobility, posed the following question on social media platform X (formerly Twitter): “And who’s paying for this?” This was in response to a statement made by Isabel Díaz-Ayuso, president of the Community of Madrid, during the project’s presentation, when she claimed it would cost Madrid residents nothing.
