Residents of Cancelada are expressing their frustration over the ongoing traffic issues caused by a lengthy four-kilometre detour that has become their daily reality. They are urging the Estepona Town Hall to advocate on their behalf to Spain’s Ministry of Transport, which oversees the motorway exits.
Community members from surrounding areas, including Bel Air, El Paraiso, Paraiso Alto, Riviera Beach, and Bahia Azul, are particularly affected by a problematic 500-metre one-way section that forces drivers to navigate through a bridge and the main roundabout just to travel towards Marbella. A local advocacy group, “La voz de las urbanizaciones,” spearheaded by resident Brigitte Verhoye, launched a bilingual petition on Change.org on September 8, gathering over 350 signatures so far.
The group emphasizes that their aim is not to confront the Estepona Town Hall, as the local streets fall under the municipality’s jurisdiction. Their concern lies with the A-7 junction and the slip road, which are managed by the central government. They are requesting that the council formally approach the ministry to request immediate improvements.
They propose three specific solutions rather than a new motorway. The Cancelada junction, previously known as the old km 165 link, serves both sides of the motorway and numerous homes constructed after the road was upgraded to a dual carriageway and classified as a motorway.
In early 2021, engineers for the ministry identified structural damage on the 20-metre overbridge, leading to its conversion into a one-way street. Drivers from Estepona were then rerouted about eight kilometres to exit at Benahavis or Guadalmina. In May, the opposite direction was also closed, forcing drivers to divert towards Selwo. The bridge was ultimately demolished overnight between May 29 and 30, leaving over 10,000 residents without proper alternatives, despite prior warnings to the town hall in late 2020. A new crossing reopened on August 28, 2021, with an estimated cost of €775,000 and about 50,000 vehicles using that route daily.
While the state-owned bridge was out of service, Estepona and Metrovacesa constructed a local 120-metre bridge over Arroyo Taraje to facilitate movement between Cancelada and Bel Air without entering the A-7. However, this did not address the issues with the motorway slip roads.
Nearby, other incomplete junctions, such as Las Hormigas at Arroyo Vaquero, have been under discussion since 2007, while the Estepona ramps at La Lobilla or Cuesta de Ronda have been in planning since 2017. Meanwhile, the Caleta de Velez junction has been incomplete for over 20 years, only recently receiving approval to proceed in 2026.
Ironically, on the day local residents celebrated the construction of the first footpath in decades in the El Paraiso area, another accident occurred on the same stretch of the motorway. Residents have grown so accustomed to the frequent minor collisions that they barely reacted.
While Estepona can alter one-way traffic rules on local streets, it lacks the authority to reconstruct a state-managed slip road independently. Mayor Jose Maria Garcia Urbano has already requested additional A-7 access for the town, and campaigners hope to see similar improvements for Cancelada, including a two-way street on the short stretch, a safer design for the old exit, and reduced congestion at the central roundabout. However, they recognize that without the support of local residents, their chances of influencing the Madrid government are slim, especially with a general election approaching.
Residents familiar with the traffic situation are encouraged to sign the petition available on Change.org entitled “Basta de rodeos…” or engage in discussions on the Facebook group “La Voz de Las Urbanizaciones.”
