Alicante city motorway will remain free for another year
The AP-7 ring road around the city will be toll-free until February 2026
The toll free AP-7 ring road around Alicante city looks set to become a permanent fixture as the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility has just extended the discount for another year, taking drivers right up to February 15, 2026.
Tolls were originally scrapped on this busy stretch of motorway back in July last year before being extended to this February, but because the pilot project has been so successful, the decision has been made to keep it going.
The ring-road forms part of Spain’s AP-7 motorway, a road which runs from Alicante, down along the coast of Murcia and into Andalucía. The idea was that making the AP-7 more attractive to drivers would alleviate traffic jams on the seriously congested A-70, and it’s worked.
So much so that plans are already underway to permanently lift the tolls between Monforte del Cid and El Campello.
According to the Ministry of Transport, between September and November 2024, a reduction in traffic jams of between 19 and 34% was recorded during off-peak hours and between 18 and 43% during the busier times. In addition, traffic demand on the AP-7 has doubled without any issues and travel times have also been reduced due to the lifting of barriers.
The results were even better in the summer. In July and August, traffic jams were reduced by between 64% and 74%.
But it’s not just motorists that are seeing improvements; the environment is also reaping the rewards. Reports show that the decongestion on the A-70 has resulted in a significant reduction in fuel consumption and therefore in CO2 and pollutant emissions, by avoiding the starting and stopping of the engine typical of unstable traffic flows.
And while the exact numbers aren’t in yet, the experts believe that the free flowing traffic will result in far fewer accidents in the longer term.
In other news: Find all the latest motoring and travel news here or join our Driving in Spain Facebook group for regular updates
Image: Freepik
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