Toll bonus on the AP-68 for heavy vehicles until 2026

The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility has published in the Official State Gazette the Royal Decree 730/2026, of September 9, which modifies certain terms of the concession for the AP-68, Bilbao-Zaragoza highway, to apply toll bonus measures to certain heavy vehicles in the Zambrana-Tudela section. The regulation, approved by the Council of Ministers at its meeting on September 8, 2026, has retroactive effect from October 1, 2025, and will remain in force until the end of the concession on November 10, 2026.

The measure is part of the policy to improve road safety and reduce accident rates in the corridor running between Haro and Alfaro, in La Rioja, where the AP-68 highway runs substantially parallel to the conventional roads N-232 and N-124. The highway concessionaire is Autopista Vasco-Aragonesa, Concesionaria Española, SA (Avasa), holder of the administrative concession according to Decree 2802/1973, of November 2.

Regulatory Background

Toll bonuses in this section have a long history. Royal Decree 1023/2017, of December 1, approved the first agreement between the General State Administration, the Government of La Rioja, and Avasa, which entered into force on December 2, 2017. However, the Third Chamber of the Supreme Court, in its judgment 992/2019, of July 4, declared that royal decree null and void due to a lack of legal coverage.

To remedy this issue, Royal Decree-Law 18/2018, of November 8, added paragraph 6 to article 38 of Law 37/2015, of September 29, on roads, providing legal coverage for the measure. On that basis, Royal Decree 757/2019, of December 27, was approved, and subsequently Royal Decree 942/2021, of October 26, which extended the reductions until September 30, 2025. Since October 1, 2025, the regime has been maintained on a transitional basis until the approval of this concessional modification.

Applicable Toll Reductions

Royal Decree 730/2026 establishes two levels of bonuses for vehicles in the “Heavy 2” category traveling through the Zambrana-Tudela section:

• 75% reduction of the toll for internal trips between exit 8 (Zambrana) and exit 18 (Tudela), both inclusive, in the Bilbao-Zaragoza direction; in the Zaragoza-Bilbao direction, between exit 17 (Pamplona) and exit 8 (Zambrana), with the AP-15 section between the A-68 junction and the AP-68 being free of charge.
• 71.27% reduction of the toll for the remaining “Heavy 2” vehicles traveling through the Zambrana-Tudela section in the Bilbao-Zaragoza direction and through the Zambrana-Pamplona section in the Zaragoza-Bilbao direction.

To enjoy the 75% reduction, it is a requirement that the payment system be dynamic tolling or electronic toll collection (VIA T system), using the enabled lanes at the affected toll stations. The measure is compatible with the exemptions and bonuses already established by Royal Decrees 2027/2009 and 584/2014 for movements with origin and destination at links within La Rioja.

Financing and control

The financing of the reductions corresponds to the General State Administration, which will cover the annual decrease in revenue through quarterly payments to Avasa, charged to budget item 17.20.441M.473.02. The concessionaire will present annual justifying reports and, on a monthly basis, reports with the origin-destination matrices of movements between Zambrana and Tudela. Monitoring and control will be the responsibility of the Government Delegation to the Concessionary Companies of National Toll Motorways.

Furthermore, the regulation maintains the prohibition of circulation for heavy vehicles with four or more axles intended for the transport of goods on the N-232 and N-124 roads as they pass through La Rioja, a restriction that has been renewed annually through resolutions from the General Directorate of Traffic since 2019. The entry into service of sections of the dual-carriageway expansion of the N-232 or the N-124 will nullify the discount on functionally alternative motorway sections.

Impact

The regulation guarantees the continuity of a bonus regime that, according to technical reports from the General Directorate of Roads and the General Directorate of Traffic, has proven effective in improving road safety and reducing accident rates in the Riojan corridor. For road freight transport, it represents a relief in toll costs on a key section of the Bilbao-Zaragoza axis, while incentivizing the use of the motorway over conventional roads, with positive effects on congestion and emissions on the N-232 and the N-124.

Source: Official State Gazette, no. 225, Friday, September 11, 2026, Section III, pp. 121534-121540 (official reference: BOE-A-2026-19039).