“I was very pleased to note the approval [of this proposal] presented by PS, which will greatly benefit the residents of this entire territory,” covering the municipalities of Alcácer do Sal, Grândola, Santiago do Cacém, and Sines in the Setúbal district, and Odemira in Odemira, said CIMAL president, Clarisse Campos, today.
In statements to the press, the official noted that this decision “will benefit” not only “residents and businesses” but also “contribute to improving territorial cohesion and leverage the development” of this region.
“Although we are coastal, we have many regions with characteristics similar to the interior, with scattered populations,” said Clarisse Campos, citing an example from the municipality of Alcácer do Sal, where she serves as mayor.
For the mayor, elected by PS, this could be “a lever” and an opportunity to “attract qualified employment and companies” to the region.
The A2 connects the region of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, from the area of Marateca in the municipality of Palmela, Setúbal district, with the sub-regions Alentejo Litoral and Baixo Alentejo, and the Algarve region, covering a total distance of 240.8 kilometers.
Also contacted by the press, the spokesperson for the coordinator of the Alentejo Coast user committees, Dinis Silva, welcomed the decision to exempt tolls on this section of the A2, emphasizing that it’s “a good signal for the country’s development.”
“Now, we will see if this moves from paper to practice. We await with some expectation for it to be realized,” said the official, emphasizing the importance of expanding the measure to the entire country.
Taxes “are increasingly high, we have all the national roads degraded here on the Alentejo coast, but we view this with some expectation,” noted Dinis Silva, who advocated for “the nationalization of Brisa” and the “companies holding the highway concessions.”
“For a light class 1 vehicle, about eight euros are charged for a single journey. With the return, the amount increases to 16 euros. If this materializes, it will improve the living conditions of the Alentejo coast population,” he considered.
On Wednesday, during the special voting on the State Budget for 2026 (OE2026), the parliament approved two proposals from PS to exempt the entire A25 Costa da Prata and Beiras Litoral and Alta from tolls, as well as two sections of the A6 and the South Highway (A2) in Alentejo.
In the cases of the A6 and the A2, the exemption only covers people residing and companies headquartered in certain “influence areas” of the two highways.
The exemption, which covers the A6 section between the A2/A6/A13 junction and Caia, while on the A2, it includes the A2/A6/A13 and Almodôvar section, operates “through the use of an electronic device associated with the vehicle’s registration.”
To determine who can benefit from the exemption, the legislation provides that the influence areas include, in the case of the A6, “the territory covered by NUTS III of Alto Alentejo and Central Alentejo,” and in the A2, “the territory covered by NUTS III of Baixo Alentejo and Litoral Alentejo.”
The OE2026 bill was approved today in the final global vote with votes in favor from the two parties supporting the Government, PSD and CDS-PP, and with PS abstaining. The other parties (Chega, IL, Livre, PCP, BE, PAN, and JPP) voted against.
