Spain's traffic authorities install cameras and registration number readers on the Malaga outer ring road

Spain's traffic authority (DGT) has launched a public tender to address the increasing traffic on the A-7 outer ring road (hiperronda) that circles Malaga city and its surrounding towns.

The DGT says that the construction of the northern access to Malaga Airport, which has been delayed for almost two decades, will place a significant strain on the ring road.

"The A-7 motorway, as it passes through the Malaga wider area and particularly the section between the junction with the A-357 and its junction with the AP-7 in the municipality of Torremolinos, is one of the busiest roads in the province.

Its role as a structuring axis of the coastline and as the main access route to urban centres, industrial areas, logistics centres and, soon, to the new northern access to Malaga Airport, makes it a strategic infrastructure in terms of traffic, connectivity and economic development," the technical specifications of the tender state.

"In recent years, the city of Malaga and its commuter area have experienced sustained urban, population and economic growth, consolidating its position as one of the main centres for business, technology and tourism activity in southern Europe. This has brought with it a significant increase in the number of vehicles and daily journeys, both short- and long-distance, generating constant pressure on the operational capacity of the A-7 motorway," the report says.

The DGT stresses the urgent need to equip this section of motorway with ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems) technology, which allows for continuous traffic monitoring, a greater capacity to respond to incidents and dynamic information for drivers in real time.

The idea is to improve road safety, reduce congestion and promote more efficient and sustainable traffic.

The project is therefore a key initiative to respond to the challenges arising from the growth of Malaga, as well as to prepare the infrastructure for the expected increase in demand following the opening of the new airport access road. The project includes the installation of cameras, traffic counters, message signs and registration number recognition systems.

Variable message signs (VMS) will inform users about traffic conditions, incidents, travel times and any other relevant information that concerns traffic flow.

Registration number reading equipment will control the flow of vehicles, tracking routes and identifying cars in congestion or emergency management situations.

The project covers an eight-kilometre section between kilometre 992+000 and 1000+000 and includes the passage through the Churriana tunnel. The final base budget allocated for the execution of the works amounts to exactly 425,700.09 euros.

Regarding the aforementioned north access, which is only 1.7 kilometres long, the road has had a favourable environmental impact report since 2025. The construction project is in the drafting phase and its tender and the official execution schedule have not yet been published.

On 7 December 2005, the then Ministry of Public Works issued the initial study order. In 2018, the project was back to square one, even though the construction contract had already been awarded.

According to the new design, which centres around a large roundabout at the exit of the ring road in Alhaurín de la Torre, this branch will absorb half of the road traffic heading to an airport that already handles over 26 million visitors annually and requires viable alternatives.

The decision to restart the project stemmed from another road project fiasco: the western distributor road, designed for heavy goods vehicles between the freight transport centre (CTM) and Churriana. The economic crisis ultimately derailed this project.

Access the broad Malaga and Costa del Sol news index