In present economic development, the transport route beneath the Aspe peak via the Gave d'Aspe valley is changing from a relatively unused route into a major transport channel. This is due not only to the regional pressure between Bordeaux and Zaragoza (which on the Spanish side alone has a regional population of 1 million people), but also to the importance of the international route between Paris and Valencia. These economic pressures - in part driven by the General Motors (later PSA) plant located in Zaragoza - have in recent years resulted in heavy truck and car traffic on the roads of the upper Gave d'Aspe valley, and an increased number of accidents.
