From today, January 1, 2025, users of several highways in Portugal will no longer pay tolls on roads previously classified as SCUT (No Cost to the User). This measure, approved by Parliament in June 2024, returns the original concept of these infrastructures, which for more than a decade were subject to direct charges from drivers.
The motorways covered by this change include the A4 (Transmontana and Túnel do Marão), A13 and A13-1 (Pinhal Interior), A22 (Algarve), A23 (Beira Interior), A24 (Interior Norte), A25 (Beiras Litoral and Alta ) and A28 (Minho, in specific sections between Esposende and Antas, and Neiva and Darque). These roads, mostly located in interior regions and in the Algarve, were under strong pressure from users and mayors who criticized the high costs for populations without equivalent road alternatives, according to .
According to the legislative text published in the Official Gazette of the Union, the measure aims to promote territorial cohesion, alleviating financial costs for drivers and encouraging economic development in the affected regions. The estimated cost of this policy for the State coffers is around R$157 million in 2025, and could reach R$1.5 billion by the end of the concessions in 2040.
Miguel Pinto Luz, Minister of Infrastructure, recently stated that “the Government will comply with Parliament’s decision, although it continues to consider that the financing model should be reviewed in a sustainable way”. On the other hand, the Portuguese Association of Motorway or Toll Bridge Concession Companies (APCAP) warned of the impact of this measure on taxpayers, highlighting that the costs of maintenance and operation of the roads will now be borne entirely by the public treasury.
“This is a victory for the interior and for the Algarve”, said a mayor from the Trás-os-Montes region, highlighting the importance of abolition for local populations. Highway users expressed relief at the end of spending considered unfair by many.
With this decision, Portugal returns to the original SCUT model, implemented in the 1990s, eliminating tolls on motorways introduced during the 2010 financial crisis, and putting an end to one of the most controversial measures of that period. It now remains to monitor the economic and social impacts of this change in the coming years.
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