The possibility of exempting Alentejo residents and companies from paying tolls on the A6 and part of the A2 is under analysis in the State Budget proposal for 2026. According to the newspaper Diário do Distrito, the Socialist Party (PS) put forward a measure that provides for free access to these sections for users in the region, as long as they have a Via Verde device, justifying the initiative with criteria of territorial justice and balance between areas of low population density.
According to the same source, the party estimates that the financial impact of the measure will reach 20.5 million euros per year, a value that could be lower if implementation only takes place from April onwards.
Only for residents of Alentejo
The newspaper writes that this amount results from an analysis of average traffic: around 7,000 vehicles per day on the A6 and 17,500 on the A2, numbers that, not considering the summer period, drop to 13,500 on the main axis of the region.
The publication adds that these uses translate into annual revenues of approximately 45 million euros on the A6 and 115 million on the relevant sections of the A2. The PS proposal limits the exemption to users residing in the Alentejo area of influence, based on the fact that only 20% of traffic on the A6 and 10% on the A2 are from local residents.
Mandatory Green Way and political perspectives
The beneficiary vehicles will have to have Via Verde, a way of ensuring that only the intended recipients have access to the free service. The publication explains that this requirement aims to avoid deviations in the application of the measure and ensure strict control over who benefits from the exemption.
Despite the opposition shown by the parties that support the AD Government, the PS sees favorable conditions for the proposal to move forward. The newspaper writes that most political forces have defended the reduction or elimination of tolls, in some cases with greater scope than proposed.
Territorial justice and regional impact
The initiative highlights that the initiative aims to correct the absence of Alentejo in the exemptions granted to other low-density areas in 2024. According to the publication, this update seeks to promote mobility and support economic and social activity in the region, ensuring more homogeneous treatment across the national territory.
The newspaper adds that, if approved, the measure also represents a political signal about the role of road infrastructure in regional development, reinforcing the importance of connections between urban centers, industrial areas and dispersed communities.
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