The busiest outward traffic is expected between 4pm and 10pm on Friday 30 October, particularly on routes leaving major cities. The DGT’s special operation starts at 3pm and covers an estimated 5.34 million long-distance journeys over Todos los Santos.
Some rail services to Andalucía have been suspended following the accident in Urda. The DGT says that could send more travellers onto roads, including on bus routes and in private cars. That would put extra pressure on corridors linking basic Spain with the south.
Traffic is expected to remain heavy on Saturday morning, as drivers head towards coastal and mountain destinations or second homes. On Sunday, cemetery visits will add to traffic; the return journey begins that afternoon in regions where Monday is a working day.
In Andalucía, Aragón, Asturias, Canarias, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Extremadura and the Community of Madrid, where Monday is also a public holiday, the operation runs until midnight on Monday. The DGT expects the busiest return traffic in those areas during the afternoon.
The A-1 poses a specific risk for drivers heading into Madrid. Repair work on three viaducts between kilometres 51 and 59 near Venturada and Cabanillas de la Sierra has closed one lane towards the capital. If safety conditions allow, the DGT may open an additional lane towards Madrid from kilometre 74.
The operation will deploy Guardia Civil traffic officers alongside staff at traffic management centres. Maintenance crews, emergency services and the Aerial Resources Unit will also take part. Fixed and mobile speed cameras, helicopters, drones and cameras will support enforcement, including checks for mobile-phone use and seat-belt violations.
The DGT also plans reversible or additional lanes on busy sections, alternative routes and restrictions on some heavy vehicles at specified times. It will suspend roadworks that could affect traffic during the most difficult periods. A recent tachograph enforcement case in Martorell shows the kind of driver-hours violations roadside checks can uncover.
The DGT is also reminding drivers of the emergency corridor rule, which took effect on 1 October. In a jam or very slow traffic, vehicles in the left lane must move left while those in the right lane move towards the hard shoulder on motorways and dual carriageways with two lanes in each direction. Where there are three lanes, the corridor must form between the far-left lane and the one beside it, with drivers in the other lanes moving as far right as possible.
