COSTA del Sol motorists are facing fresh motorway misery after Spain’s transport ministry permanently closed a key Marbella junction without warning.
The A-7 exit into Elviria, which serves the popular Golden Beach area, was shut down this week as Marbella officials protested that they had not been given any prior notice.
It is just the latest black mark for the troubled coastal highway, which has continued to deteriorate even as a feasibility study to expand and improve it languishes without updates.
The move has sparked a backlash among residents, with drivers warning that accessing the busy thoroughfare has now become more difficult than ever.
Local resident Victor Manuel Rincon wrote on Facebook: “This exit is not just another access point: it is an essential connection for our daily lives.
“Its closure could cause significant mobility problems and leave many residents with serious difficulties entering and leaving our area, in addition to considerably increasing travel times, traffic and commutes.
“Why wasn’t sufficient advance notice provided? What real alternatives have been planned for residents?
“We demand clear information, transparency and solutions,” Rincon added.
Marbella mayor Angeles Muñoz has urged the government to postpone the closure, calling for the junction to remain open until local authorities set up alternative routes.
She also criticised the lack of warning, doubling down on claims that residents and the town hall were given no time to prepare.
“In the absence of solutions from the central government, the town hall had planned a service road and is currently carrying out improvement works on the internal roads in the area, which have not yet been completed.
“We are calling for access to remain open until this work is done, for an information campaign to be launched for local residents and for greater dialogue with the local authority,” Muñoz said in a statement.
According to the ministry of transport, the junction had to be closed because its design posed a serious safety risk to drivers joining the two-lane motorway.
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Motorists had to come to a halt at a stop sign before merging onto the A-7, leaving them with little room to build up speed as they joined traffic.
This created a dangerous situation for both drivers attempting to merge and those already travelling along the busy road.
The closure comes as the government continues to look at ways of improving the A-7 between Torremolinos and Torreguadiaro.
In May 2025, Spanish authorities tasked engineering firm WSP Spain-Apia with exploring ways to improve the thoroughfare, including widening the carriageway and adding links with the nearby AP-7 toll road.
WSP was given a €835,000 budget and a 12-month deadline, meaning the study was due to be completed by May this year.
However, the study is now four months overdue, with no major upgrade projects currently underway despite the Elviria junction closure this week.
According to Europa Sur, the study is currently assessing traffic levels, accident data and the impact of possible projects on the surrounding area before weighing up their costs, benefits and environmental impact.
The aim is to find a long-term fix for congestion, safety and poor connectivity along more than 100 kilometres of one of the Costa del Sol’s busiest roads, officials said.
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