Spain abolishes toll roads: holidaymaker pays tens of euros less | Abroad

The most significant change for many tourists who take the car is the end of the toll on the AP7. It is the highway to the south between the French border at La Junquera and Salou, more than 80 kilometers south of Barcelona. With a private car, a one-way ticket from the French border – Salou costs around 25 euros. Vacationers with a caravan or motorhome quickly pay around 55 euros.

In the same region, the AP2, the motorway on the south coast from Barcelona to Zaragoza, is now free. In addition, the Catalan motorway along the Costa Brava, the C32, is no longer a toll road. Here too, the holidaymaker now saves a good sum. The region of Catalonia has thus gained 550 kilometers of free motorway. If you drive further south, you will pay the toll again.

Maintenance

The financing and maintenance of motorways has long been the subject of discussions in Spain and in the Spanish regions. It is therefore still unclear how the highways should be financed from now on. According to the Spanish media, a kilometer of motorway costs on average 60,000 euros per year.

In Catalonia, the central government is responsible for the old AP2 and AP7 toll roads and the Catalan government is responsible for the C32, among others. Madrid and Barcelona are looking for a new way to charge drivers for the use of motorways and thus finance it. In Catalonia, for example, a sticker like those introduced in many other European countries is under consideration.

Spain still has relatively few toll roads. Of the 12,000 kilometers of motorway in the Spanish state, 2,000 kilometers are toll roads. The regions have 5,200 kilometers of motorways, including 500 kilometers of toll roads. Spain must have an EU plan before 2024 to finance highways.