Alex Trelinski
THE government is hoping that the AP-7 and A-70 Alicante by-pass will very soon become a toll-free road.
The imminent move will free up a 33-kilometre stretch, but Transport Minister, Oscar Puente, has had nothing to say about scrapping charges on the AP-7 in Malaga province.
He in effect reaffirmed the government stance earlier this May about not removing tolls on the busy southern stretch of the motorway.
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Both the Alicante and Malaga routes attract around 100,000 per day with campaigners on the Costa del Sol making similar demands about the need to ease congestion.
Puente said that the Alicante ring-road- which charges a €1.30 toll- suffers from ‘saturated accesses’ and ‘long delays’.
“Unless I encounter a legal problem with the Treasury, the reasonable thing to do is to end tolls on the AP-7 around Alicante to improve traffic flows from the A-70,” said Puente.
He emphasised that the change was still being worked on and ‘cannot be guaranteed’.
The AP-7 in Malaga province is much longer at 82.7 kilometres and only has a toll-free section as it passes through Benalmadena.
Tariffs range between €5.25 and €8.60 depending on the length travelled and the time of the year.
Demands to remove the toll are centred on improving mobility on the Costa del Sol while the long-demanded Coastal Train project continues to be planned.
