The initial forecast was for January 2026, but the plan will remain in the drawer for another year. The exemption from tolls for heavy vehicles on the Circular Regional Exterior do Porto (CREP/A41) should only become a reality in January 2027. The confirmation was given by the new mayor of Porto, Pedro Duarte, who, despite guaranteeing commitment to speed up the process, admits that there are technical and administrative obstacles that prevent the implementation of the measure next year.
According to Rádio Metropolitana do Porto, the exemption was initially scheduled for January 1, 2026, as announced by the government in April.
However, the decision ended up being postponed due to the change of municipal executives in the Porto Metropolitan Area (AMP), which led to the need to reevaluate the calendar.
Measure dependent on coordination between mayors and government
During a visit to Bairro do Lagarteiro, Pedro Duarte explained that the application of the measure depended on consultation between the AMP municipalities. According to the same source, the outgoing mayors chose to leave the decision to their successors, which temporarily halted the progress of the process.
The mayor also highlighted that, with the State Budget already approved, there is no technical margin to introduce the exemption before 2026. Even so, he guaranteed that the municipal executive will look for “solutions to bring the measure into force as early as possible”, highlighting that the objective is to reduce the flow of heavy goods on the Via de Cintura Interna (VCI).
Government guarantees that the process is ongoing
The Minister of Infrastructure, Miguel Pinto Luz, confirmed that the government remains committed to moving forward with the exemption “as quickly as possible”. According to the government official, cited by the same source, the executive “knows which way the stones are going” and is working on a joint solution with the region’s local authorities.
The same source writes that, when asked about the possibility of the process only taking place in 2027, the minister did not want to give any deadlines, saying that he will first discuss the issue with the mayors of Porto and Gaia, the municipalities most directly involved in the management of VCI and CREP.
Gradual reduction in tariffs is a scenario under study
The government plans, even before the total exemption, to implement a progressive reduction in toll fees at CREP. This decrease should occur within four to five months, generally covering all heavy vehicles.
The measure is part of a broader plan to ease traffic on the VCI and redistribute freight traffic, diverting it to the outer road. According to the Minister of Infrastructure, “the consensus is established”, but implementation depends on coordination with municipalities and budget availability.
Mayors reaffirm priority for heavy traffic
Pedro Duarte, the new mayor of Porto, reiterated that the exemption from tolls at CREP is “a priority” for the city and the entire metropolitan area. According to , the mayor guaranteed that the Chamber will continue to press for the calendar to be brought forward, “even though the 2027 horizon is, at this moment, the most realistic”.
The same publication adds that the measure aims to reduce pressure on the VCI, one of the urban roads with the highest density of heavy traffic in the country, and improve circulation within the city.
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