The new government of Spain will eliminate the tolls on the motorways whose concessions are expiring. It will also launch an audit of the plan to bring to tender the nine concessionaires bankrupt and rescued by the state that it inherited from the previous government.

 

"We decided to get rid of tolls," announced the new Minister of Public Works, José Luis Ábalos, in an interview with El País. The Spanish government indicated that the decision directly affects a total of 468 kilometers of the AP-1 (Burgos-Armiñón), AP7 (Alicante-Tarragona) and AP-4 (Seville-Cádiz) motorways, whose concessions end this year and next.

 

According to the newspaper, the Madrid measure sets a precedent for the 479 kilometers of Spanish motorways that have the concession contract ending in 2021: the AP-2 between Zaragoza and the Mediterranean and the stretches of the AP-7 Tarragona -La Jonquera and Montmeló-El Papiol. As regards the destination of failed motorways, Mr Ábalos pointed out that the information provided to him and obtained from the departments did not coincide either with regard to possible revenue from a new call for tenders or with regard to the costs to be borne by the State. Hence the intention to proceed with an audit.

 

The new Minister of Public Works of Spain indicated that the information he obtained from the departments pointed to revenues of 700 million euros and state responsibilities of 2,000 to 2,600 million, when the previous Executive was expected to obtain 1 billion from the biddings and pay 1 800 million.

 

 

 

Source, Transportes & Negócios.