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The Spanish Ministry of Transport has once again stirred things up along the Costa del Sol with a decision related to motorway tolls. If before it was Alicante and León, now the Ministry of Transport is studying the possibility of making three toll roads in Madrid, Ávila and Segovia free of charge.
Specifically, transport minister Óscar Puente's department has commissioned a study on the actions needed to lift the barriers on the AP-6, AP-51 and AP-61, where toll stations are currently operated by Abertis. The managing company's concession will expire soon, specifically in November 2029, according to Cinco Días and confirmed by SUR.
Ministry sources indicate that these three concessions are coming to an end soon and an action plan is being drawn up, so "this does not mean that a decision has been taken, only that we have to look at the alternatives because the end of the toll arrangement is very near".
For the time being, and in the short term, these three motorways will continue to operate as toll roads, but the national transport ministry has already put in motion the procedures that will lead to toll-free public management in five years' time. The rationale is that these roads are considered to be a strategic infrastructure for HGV and light traffic on exit and entry points to Madrid, especially at weekends. To this end a study has been assigned to define the process of adapting these roads to free use alongside others in the surrounding area that may require changes. The expected increase in traffic will require the remodelling of junctions and the creation of new access points, among other projects.
In addition to this, the study will look at possibly adding lanes, noise protection measures and intelligent systems for the management of the three motorways, among other options. Last year, the aforementioned roads had an average daily traffic volume of 17,738 vehicles, an increase of 4% compared to 2022.
Reactions from the province to this news have not been long in coming. The president of Malaga's provincial authority (Diputación) and mayor of Rincón de la Victoria, Francisco Salado, said: "It is not understandable, acceptable or justifiable that precisely the most expensive motorway in Spain in the area with the most traffic problems and the fastest growing [area] in Spain is systematically left out of these announcements and studies to have free or subsidised toll systems in the rest of the country." He then added: "We are waiting for a response from [central] government because we have been waiting for many months for news that has not been forthcoming."
For her part, party president for the PP in Malaga and Junta delegate, Patricia Navarro, has asked in a message on social media: "And the Costa del Sol toll in Malaga for when?", (alluding to a J-Lo pop song asking about when the girl is getting the ring on her finger - 'El Anillo')
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