The Catalan Traffic Service (SCT) has announced the opening of a lane on the AP-7 motorway southbound, from Martorell to Gelida, to facilitate the circulation of buses covering alternative services following the road closure. This measure, which will be implemented starting this Wednesday, aims to reduce travel times that have been severely penalized since the rail accident on January 21 and the subsequent landslide.
The Director of Traffic, Ramon Lamiel, confirmed in an interview that the forecast for the total reopening of the AP-7 remains set for February 9. However, Lamiel admitted that it is still unclear whether the reopening will be complete, with three lanes, or partial, with only two, due to the complexity of the repair and stabilization work.
“"What certainly will not happen is that only one lane opens."
The buses, including those operated by Renfe and the regular E6 line connecting Barcelona with Vilafranca, will use the right lane at a maximum speed of 80 km/h for safety reasons. This decision responds to a proposal put forward by the Government Delegate in Penedès and will allow vehicles to take the Gelida exit before the construction zone, continuing towards Sant Llorenç d’Hortons and Sant Sadurní.
Lamiel recalled that Traffic's strategy in response to the closure has been threefold, highlighting the removal of the C-32 toll, the Ordal route, and the use of the A-2 up to Igualada to connect with the C-15 and rejoin the AP-7 at Vilafranca. He ruled out enabling northbound lanes for southbound traffic due to safety concerns, especially for heavy vehicles, noting that “a truck traveling in the opposite direction has 20 times more collision energy.”
