Alentejo Locals Could Soon Cruise A2 and A6 Toll-Free

Drivers in the Alentejo may soon keep their wallets closed at the motorway gantries. A push in Parliament to scrap tolls for residents and local companies on the A2 and A6 corridors has moved from regional demand to national budget debate, bringing fresh hope that the measure will finally land in the 2026 State Budget. Supporters say the step would remove a stubborn obstacle to doing business in the country’s largest but most sparsely populated region, while critics worry about setting a costly precedent.

What is on the table?

Socialist lawmakers representing Évora, Beja and Portalegre introduced an amendment that would allow Alentejo-registered vehicles to travel gratis between the Marateca interchange and Caia, as well as on the southern stretches of the A2 toward the Algarve. They calculate that about 700,000 inhabitants and 90,000 companies rely on those links for work, study and commerce. The proposal carries a €10 M price tag for the Treasury—small change in a €130 B national budget, its authors contend, yet big enough to trim household fuel-and-toll bills and improve profit margins for wine exporters, cork producers and agritech start-ups headquartered in the interior.

Why the Alentejo feels left behind

The region spans one third of Portugal’s surface but houses barely six percent of its population. Long distances separate towns, rail service is patchy, and commuters have few realistic alternatives to the Brisa-operated motorways. Local officials argue that families forced onto parallel national roads endure longer journeys and a higher accident rate, while firms face logistics costs that coastal rivals do not. They point jealously to the ex-SCUT highways in Beira Interior and Trás-os-Montes, where tolls were abolished this January, noting that the Alentejo’s motorways were never part of that original free-to-use network even though they serve a territory of comparable density.

Clash of arguments in Lisbon

In committee, the Socialist Party framed the exemption as a matter of territorial justice. Left-wing allies from BE, PCP, Livre and PAN signalled sympathy, recalling their vote last year to wipe out payments on interior roads. The PSD and CDS-PP oppose a blanket waiver, warning that highway discounts have morphed into an unfunded wish-list likely to strain public finances and reward drivers over public-transport users. The Iniciativa Liberal remains hesitant, demanding a wider debate on user-pays principles before it decides. The Government itself, while not rejecting the idea outright, is studying how compensating Brisa Concessão Rodoviária would interact with forthcoming EU budget-deficit targets.

Lessons drawn from other interior highways

Academic work on the A23 in Beira Interior documented an immediate traffic rebound after tolls were scrapped, along with stronger tourist flows and quicker ambulance response times. Similar anecdotal gains have emerged on the Via do Infante (A22) in the Algarve. Yet economists caution that road savings alone will not reverse decades of out-migration; parallel investment in broadband, schools and health centres is required. These mixed findings now colour the Alentejo discussion: proponents seize on the early momentum, sceptics note that cost-benefit ratios depend on traffic volumes lower than those of coastal axes.

The calendar—and the stakes

Debate on the amendment is slated for the final week of committee work on the 2026 State Budget. If it survives, Via Verde coding would be updated so that exemptions kick in by early April 2026. Supporters predict that cheaper motorway access will entice Lisbon day-trippers to wineries, lower the freight bill for marble leaving Borba, and make it easier for frontier towns such as Elvas to lure Spanish shoppers. Should MPs vote it down, regional leaders warn that resentment over “two-tier mobility” will deepen and calls for broader fiscal autonomy may grow louder. Either way, the outcome will signal how far Portugal is prepared to go in bridging the divide between bustling coast and quiet interior.