Overview
- Authorities and experts say the AP‑7 is saturated and showing serious wear that requires urgent capacity increases and maintenance to avoid a medium‑term breakdown.
- The Spanish government has ruled out reinstating tolls while the Generalitat of Catalunya favors introducing a viñeta and exploring per‑distance charges as a fairer funding option.
- The Ministry of Transport has planned third and fourth lanes for Terres de l'Ebre, the Penedès and the Vallès but most works remain at study or project‑draft stages and large‑scale widening costs are estimated up to about €7 billion.
- Servei Català de Trànsit has confined heavy trucks to 80 km/h, the right lane and no overtaking on the Calafat–Amposta stretch and says it will study extending those restrictions plus stepped‑up controls, longer driver training and trials of autonomous vehicle technology.
- Shorter‑term 'encomiendas de gestión' carry €250 million for redesigning AP‑7/AP‑2 links, concession firms have offered to assume works, and delays plus political resistance could prolong congestion, raise safety risks and keep heavy freight on the road while rail alternatives lag.