The Government extends the free use of the Alicante Ring Road until February 2025

The Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, announced this Tuesday that the free use of the AP-7 Alicante Ring Road tolls will be extended until February 15, 2025, after this measure has been applied since June 16.

He advanced this during a lunch with businesspeople from the Community organized by the Conexus Foundation in Madrid, where he informed that data indicates that the measure is helping to achieve the goal of decongesting the A-70, as traffic decreases between 10% and 12% have been observed in the section of the highway north of the junction with the A-31, thanks to long-distance traffic and goods being diverted through the now free AP-7.

Traffic on the Alicante Ring Road has nearly doubled, with a much more intense increase in heavy vehicles than light ones, making it more attractive for long-distance travel than for short distances.

Despite the 95% increase recorded in early analyses, given that the road was underutilized (between 6,000 and 10,000 vehicles per day), this rise does not affect the service level of the road.

Puente also referred to the Mediterranean Corridor, pointing out that his Ministry has tendered works worth 7.1 billion euros and awarded contracts worth 5.3 billion euros since June 2018, which have allowed more than 800 kilometers of the corridor to be under construction.

"Today, 100% of the Mediterranean Corridor is in motion. All pending sections are in some phase of processing or execution. If there has been a Government that has unequivocally demonstrated its commitment to the Mediterranean Corridor, it has been this one. If anyone has worked to achieve sustainable and fully interoperable mobility and greater competitiveness for companies in the Mediterranean arc and its area of influence, it has been this Administration," he assured.

On another note, from the perspective of ports, the minister recalled that the first stone of the North Terminal Port of Valencia is about to be laid and that last week the Port Authority approved the tender for granting concession to operate the future new terminal.

The expansion will be carried out in collaboration with the private sector, so total investment will exceed 1.6 billion euros, making it the largest in Spanish port system history.