ARCHIVED - Proposed tolls on Spanish motorways would mean a charge of 4 euros between Murcia and Cartagena

Construction companies propose a toll of 9 cents per kilometre on all State-owned motorways

The issue of toll charges on motorways is one which is constantly in the news in Spain these days, and following the lifting of charges on much of the stretch of the AP-7 motorway which runs along the Mediterranean coast from Alicante to the border with France in January a proposal to introduce new tolls on the A-30 between Murcia and Cartagena seems likely to cause heated debate.

Seopan, which represents motorway construction companies and management concessionaries, is proposing that tolls be imposed on State-owned motorways of 9 cents per kilometre for cars and 19 cents for lorries, rates that would mean a cost of 4.41 euros for drivers travelling between the two largest cities in the Region of Murcia. But this would not be the only motorway affected – there are 320 km of such roads in the Region alone – and other charges resulting from the policy would mean that travelling from Murcia to Madrid would cost 36.54 euros in tolls and even the short drive to Alicante would mean an outlay of 7.20 euros.

In total the entire State-owned network includes 14,130 kilometres of motorway and the concessionaries’ latest proposal outlines charges three times higher than the 3 cents per kilometre they put forward last year. The aim, according to Seopan president Julián Núñez, is to generate revenue of over 4,000 million euros per year, easily covering the 825 million which are spent on road maintenance every year.

Other motorways in Murcia which would be affected by this measure if it were to be adopted include the whole of the A-30 from Cieza to Cartagena (A-30), the A-7 from Santomera to Puerto Lumbreras (A-7), the A-33 from Blanca to Yecla (A-33), the A-914 from Puerto Lumbreras to the boundary with the province of Granada and the AP-7 from Cartagena to San Pedro del Pinatar.

Justifying the proposal, Sr Núñez points out that in 23 EU countries tolls are levied on all motorways, and that by his reckoning the scheme would imply revenue for the Spanish government of just over 104,000 million euros over the next 25 years – a figure which matches the amount which it is estimated will be needed if Spain is to reach the sustainability targets set for the year 2030.

However, individual motorists are unlikely to take such factors into account in their reaction, focussing instead on their daily outgoings as they drive to and from work!

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