Madrid to install toll charges on local motorways

The regional government of Madrid in Spain is to install toll booths on its motorways, including the M-45 ring road and the M-501 motorway. According to official figures, 100,000 vehicles use the M-45 every day and 40,000 use the M-501 between the M-40 and Brunete stretch. In 2011, the regional government paid the motorways' operators -under a shadow agreement- US$105 million for the M-45, US$6.56 million for the M-407 between Fuenlabrada and Grinon, and US$19.7 million for the M-501. Now, the local authorities say that the installation of toll charges on the local motorways will be a necessity as maintenance costs alone amount to nearly US$40 million annually.