The AP 7 will incorporate a variable speed system on the stretch between l'Ametlla de Mar, at the height of Calafat, and Amposta, in the southbound direction. The measure will be applied over 44 kilometers and will adjust limits based on the presence of trucks, with an infrastructure that the Ministry of Transport plans to install throughout 2026.
The management of the device will remain in the hands of the Servei Català de Trànsit, after the agreement reached between the Directorate General of Roads of the Ministry and the body dependent on the Conselleria d Interior. The objective is to adapt circulation to the density of goods traffic in one of the corridors with the highest road pressure in the Terres de l Ebre and the whole of Tarragona.
"The objective is to optimize the speed on this stretch based on the density of freight traffic" Ramon Lamiel, director of the Servei Català de Trànsit
First system of this type in Catalunya
The sensors and cameras planned at this point of the highway will calculate only the number of heavy vehicles to determine the level of saturation of the road. Based on that reading, the system will be able to modify the maximum authorized speed. The default limits will be 100 km/h for passenger cars and 80 km/h for trucks.
Lamiel stresses that it is an unprecedented implementation in the Catalan network.
"This signage does not exist in Catalonia. The Tarragona section will be the first to apply it" Ramon Lamiel, director of the Catalan Traffic Service
In parallel, the Catalan Traffic Service will reinforce communication with drivers in this Ebro section through informative panels and mobile speed radars, with the intention of improving compliance with limits and regulating traffic when the presence of heavy transport increases.
A stretch under surveillance due to accident rate
The action comes in a context of concern over accidents on the AP 7 as it passes through Tarragona. In 2025, 11 of the 31 fatal victims registered in the province occurred on this highway. Furthermore, 67% of the fatal accidents on the AP 7 between La Jonquera and L Aldea were concentrated in Tarragona territory.
On November 20 of last year, the Councilor of Interior, Núria Parlon, already announced 18 measures to curb the accident rate on this road. Between January and March 2026, in the section affected by the new action, accidents decreased from 18 to 14. In that same period, fatal victims went from two to none.
"It's only one quarter, but the measures adopted reflect that good work is being done" Ramon Lamiel, director of the Servei Català de Trànsit
The director of the Catalan Traffic Service considers that the first data point to a favorable evolution and maintains that the new variable speed system must serve to consolidate that trend in one of the most sensitive points of the AP 7 in Catalonia.
"The reduction of victims, of accidents and of fatalities indicates that we are on the right track" Ramon Lamiel, director of the Servei Català de Trànsit
The forecast is that the new model will be deployed during 2026 and will turn the stretch between Calafat and Amposta into the first Catalan experience of dynamic speed limitation linked to heavy traffic, with the aim of reducing accidents and improving the fluidity of circulation towards the south.