Empty Road

About

Empty Road is a landscape and architectural photography project that documents the current state of one of Spain’s most traveled roads in the past. The Nacional II, spanning 790 kilometers, once connected France to Madrid, passing through Barcelona and Zaragoza. Today, only 266 kilometers of the original national road remain, with the rest having been replaced by the A-2 highway. With the construction of the Northeast motorway and the recent removal of toll fees, the road has fallen into an unprecedented state of abandonment. This project captures not only the neglect of what was once a vital infrastructure but also the spaces surrounding it: roadside inns and restaurants that were once bustling with travelers and now struggle to survive, deserted gas stations, and arid landscapes that evoke a quiet nostalgia. Through images that explore the light and emptiness of these secondary roads, the project aims to reflect their slow decline and the silence that now surrounds them. Although the N-II is no longer a main transportation route between the north and center of Spain, it is still traveled by truck drivers, dotted with near-abandoned villages, and inhabited by ranchers who continue to make use of the surrounding land. Beyond documenting its current state, Empty Road is also a reflection on the passage of time and the transformation of the landscape, raising an essential question: what future awaits these once-crucial roads? (2022).

Color Thumbnails

ROAD

The road passes through ten towns: Fraga, Candasnos, Peñalba, Bujaraloz, Pina de Ebro, Aguilar de Ebro, Osera de Ebro, Villafranca de Ebro, Nuez de Ebro, and Alfajarín. Fraga has a population of 15,000, and before reaching Zaragoza, the remaining nine municipalities together total approximately 9,000 inhabitants. 114 kilometers and a desert landscape separate Fraga from Zaragoza. This road, once a vital artery for transportation and commerce, is now surrounded by towns struggling against depopulation and the passage of time. The buildings that line the route stand as silent witnesses to a livelier past: roadside motels with rusted signs, abandoned gas stations, and restaurants that were once bustling meeting points for travelers and truck drivers. The stretch between Fraga and Zaragoza is a journey through emptiness, where the road blends into the horizon amidst an arid and desolate landscape. Here, time seems to have stopped, and the silence of the abandoned asphalt tells a story of neglect and transformation.

DEATH

The road carries death with it. The deterioration of the N-II led to the closure of roadside establishments such as Portal de Monegros and Mirador del Ebro, two once-famous highway hotels that provided employment for the entire town of Osera de Ebro. Today, the town survives mainly through agriculture, while others are forced to commute to Zaragoza to make a living. With the disappearance of businesses like gas stations, hotels, and bars, the homes of former workers have also been abandoned along the way. Those who remained take a daily risk, traveling on a road considered one of the deadliest in Spain due to the high number of trucks and the frequent crossings of stray animals..

LIFE

The road also brings life with it. Agriculture and livestock endure in this desert-like region despite the harsh conditions. One of the most famous events is the Monegros Desert Festival, an electronic music festival that attracts tourism to towns with populations of less than 1,000 inhabitants.

LAST CALL

With the construction of the Northeast motorway, the towns saw a decline in car traffic. As a result, many businesses closed or remain waiting for a new buyer. Towns like Peñalba, Bujaraloz, and Osera de Ebro have fallen victim to this decline. Some restaurants, like Venturrillo in Fraga, wait for customers who never arrive. The same fate befalls the bus stops in Alfajarín or Villafranca del Ebro, where the silence of abandonment echoes the waiting that may never end.