Another Attempt at the Navarrese Port Project (1702)
The report of the Cortes of Navarre of 1795, which we have mentioned, also provides information about the port works project carried out at the beginning of the 18th century by the Navarrese in coordination with the people of Hondarribia:
« At the congress of these (Cortes of 1702), the matter was seriously considered. Two of its members, accompanied by an engineer, were commissioned to survey the land from this city to the town of Santesteban in order to open a road, and the Bidasoa River from that town to Fuenterrabía to facilitate navigation. Along this stretch, the costs of the works were assessed and a plan was created, which still exists. The necessary reports on traffic and other matters that could contribute to the allocation of funds for this enterprise and its maintenance were collected. Taking all these factors into account, the Cortes resolved to by law the authority to make the Bidasoa River navigable from Santesteban to the city of Fuenterrabía, to construct a road from that town to this city, and to establish taxes under the circumstances proposed in the petition. This law, if not fully granted, must have influenced the decree that followed, due to the vicissitudes of the War of Succession, according to the context of the royal decree issued regarding this petition within the political circumstances of the time. Undoubtedly, the benefits promised by the new trade with Fuenterrabía were considered lower than the expenditures required to equip the port, navigate the Bidasoa, and construct the road from Pamplona to Santesteban, especially since a project as thoroughly examined and recommended to the Diputaciones was not carried out. »