News: In 2020 end toll on AP-7 between Alicante and Tarragona

The Minister for Development has officially confirmed it. The AP-7 highway between Alicante and Tarragona and vice versa will become toll-free from 1 January 2020.

On 31 December 2019 the contract with the current manager Aumar will end after which this will not be renewed and the state will take over the management. At the same time, the AP-4 between Seville and Cádiz becomes toll-free.

The Ap-7 motorway or Autopista del Mediterráneo between the provinces of Tarragona and Alicante is 373.8 kilometers long and has a toll of 59.97 euros along the entire route. From 1 January 2020, that toll will be canceled, which is of course good news for the Spaniards, but also foreigners who use this highway to drive to the Comunidad Valenciana, Murcia or Andalusia.

The maintenance costs for this part of the AP-7 are estimated at 16 million euros per year, money that will no longer be paid by the toll. On average 20,071 vehicles use the AP-7 on the part between Tarragona and Valencia and about 19,205 vehicles between Valencia and Alicante. If the toll expires, the number of vehicles will increase considerably.

That has already happened on the AP-1 between Burgos and Armiñón, which became toll-free on 1 December 2018 after 44 years. The number of vehicles on the AP-1 increased by 58.7% after lifting the toll to around 25.516 (compared to 16.703 in November).

From 1 January 2020, the AP-4 or Autopista del Sur between Seville and Cádiz will also become toll-free. This is a 93 km long highway that uses an average of 21,974 vehicles per day. The toll costs 7.42 euros this year on the AP-4.