The PS proposal, approved on Thursday 2 May, aims to end tolls on the A4 - Transmontana and Túnel do Marão, A13 and A13-1 - Pinhal Interior, A22 - Algarve, A23 - Beira Interior, A24 - Interior Norte, A25 - Beiras Litoral and Alta and A28 – Minho in the sections between Esposende and Antas and between Neiva and Darque.

The proposal was approved with votes in favour of the socialists, Chega, BE, PCP, Livre, and PAN.

The proposal approved on 2 May in general - which according to the socialists has a budgetary impact of 157 million euros - will come into force on January 1, 2025, according to the PS bill.

In a statement, CEVAL, which represents around 5,000 companies in the Viana do Castelo district that employs more than 19,000 workers, highlights that the decision “fulfills an old desire to transform Alto Minho into a more competitive place”.

“Justice has been given to Alto Minho, as we were always against the existence of a portico next to the industrial zone of Neiva, in Viana do Castelo. We always wanted to eliminate the portico so as to never push the problem to the neighboring municipality of Esposende and, after so much struggle, there was finally an approval which, once it comes to fruition, will boost development by reinforcing the competitiveness of this territory”, argues the president of CEVAL, Luís Ceia, cited in the note.

According to CEVAL, “Alto Minho lost its competitive capacity with the introduction of tolls on this former SCUT (roads at no cost to the user), in 2011, which forced companies and entrepreneurs to reinvent themselves in search of solutions to face the difficulties.”

“The constraints caused by the existence of the Neiva portico have always been many, conditioning the mobility of those who need to travel on the A28 every day and, forcing companies to incur greater travel expenses, since this is an essential route for Viana do Castelo, without there being other routes capable of facilitating road travel”.

CEVAL hopes that “the measure can be applied as soon as possible so that the justice that this territory deserves can be restored”.

Since the implementation of toll collection, the fight for its elimination has mobilised civic movements and political parties, and resulted, in 2021, in the proposal of the PSD, the application of a 50% discount on the fee.

In February 2020, a recommendation from BE to the Government to abolish toll payments on Highway 28 (A28), between Viana do Castelo and Porto, was rejected in parliament, with the PS voting against.

PSD, CDS-PP, and Initiative Liberam abstained, while BE, PCP, PAN, PEV, and non-registered deputy Joacine Katar Moreira voted in favor.

The elimination or relocation of the Neiva portico on the A28 was another battle between business people, local authorities, and political parties, and was given the form of a recommendation to the Government, also in 2021, after the approval of a PSD draft resolution.

Previously, in 2017, the petition "For the elimination of the Neiva portico, portico 4 of the A28, between Neiva and Darque", promoted by the Alto Minho Business Confederation (CEVAL), failed to achieve its objective.

Located next to the industrial zone of Neiva, in Viana do Castelo, that portico has been considered an obstacle to business activity in the district.

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Proposal to end tolls in ex-SCUT generally approved