Overview
- The AP-7 again suffered multi-kilometre jams and long closures after two recent truck accidents that exposed chronic lane shortages and maintenance shortfalls on key stretches.
- President Salvador Illa has reopened discussion of reinstating tolls and floated greener, size- and weight-based charges as a way to raise funds and manage use.
- Sílvia Paneque, Catalonia’s consellera de Territori, urged urgent widening of bottleneck sections and temporary regulation of heavy vehicles while expansion plans proceed.
- Political reaction is polarized: the Catalan PP and Junts reject reintroducing peajes and demand direct investment, while ERC says tolls are only acceptable if applied uniformly across all state highways.
- Any physical widening depends on the Spanish Ministry of Transport and will take years, so officials are exploring interim measures such as targeted heavy‑vehicle controls, prioritized maintenance, and trialing vignette or green-tariff systems, with implications for freight routing and commuter costs.