Catalonia: the AP-7 gets three restriction windows for La Mercè

The official Servei Català de Trànsit calendar classes the Operació La Mercè — the traffic plan for Barcelona’s main festival — as a “restricció de festius i ponts”, with a direct effect on general freight over 7.5 t on the AP-7, between Maçanet de la Selva (km 84.5) and L’Hospitalet de l’Infant (km 281), both directions.

There are three separate windows, not a continuous closure:

• 23 September (Wednesday), 17:00 to 22:00
• 24 September (Thursday, La Mercè day), 10:00 to 14:00
• 27 September (Sunday), 17:00 to 22:00

Outside these hours, freight traffic runs as normal on this stretch. Sunday 27 September also falls under the general Sunday and public holiday restriction across the whole Catalan interurban network, which applies to special transports and dangerous goods.

The same exceptions from the Catalan rules published in the BOE apply: perishable foodstuffs, live animals, combined transport between a terminal and the loading or unloading point, and rescue and public-service vehicles.

For hauliers coming from the Iberian Peninsula towards France via La Jonquera, this is exactly the corridor through Catalonia. Check your arrival time on the AP-7 against these three windows before setting off — see also the traffic warnings and the Spain page.