A major traffic accident on the AP-7 motorway near Olèrdola and Subirats in Alt Penedès has caused extensive queues stretching 14 kilometres, severely impacting the second special traffic operation for the Easter holiday exodus from Barcelona. The incident, which occurred today, forced the closure of two motorway lanes, creating significant disruption for thousands of travellers.

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Authorities initially closed two lanes of the AP-7 southbound following the collision. They later managed to reopen one lane, partially easing the severe congestion. Additionally, officials opened an extra lane in the opposite direction between Martorell and Banyeres del Penedès to help manage the flow of vehicles.

Widespread Congestion Across Catalonia

Other sections of the AP-7 also experienced significant delays. Drivers faced five-kilometre queues at Montmeló in Vallès Oriental northbound, alongside three-kilometre queues at Castellbisbal in Vallès Occidental and Castellví de Rosanes in Baix Llobregat, both southbound. Gelida in Alt Penedès also recorded three-kilometre queues.

Further congestion affected other major routes across Catalonia. The N-II near Vidreres in Selva saw nine-kilometre queues heading towards Girona. Another accident on the C-32 at Sitges in Garraf resulted in four-kilometre queues. The C-17 accumulated two-kilometre queues at Lliçà de Vall in Vallès Oriental and another two kilometres at Ripoll in Ripollès. Meanwhile, the C-16, a primary access route to the Pyrenees, experienced two-kilometre queues at Cercs in Berguedà.

Easter Exodus from Barcelona Underway

This widespread congestion occurred as nearly half a million vehicles departed the Barcelona metropolitan area. From 08:00 yesterday until 11:00 today, 470,498 vehicles left the region. This figure represents 84% of the 560,000 vehicles anticipated to leave during this period.

Return Traffic Expected from Sunday

According to the Servei Català de Trànsit (SCT), the remaining vehicles of the 560,000 projected will depart the Barcelona area today. The SCT also anticipates 590,000 vehicles will return from Sunday, particularly on Easter Monday.

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Originally published by VilaWeb Feed. Read original article.