After an 18-Year Gap, Portugal Plans €6 Billion of New Road Concessions From 2029 as Brisa's A8 and A15 Deals Wind Down
The government has sketched more than €6 billion of new motorway concessions for 2029-2031 — its first road PPP in 18 years — while opening talks with Brisa over the A8 and A15. The tolling model is still undecided.
Portugal is preparing to return to public-private partnerships (PPPs) on its motorway network for the first time in almost two decades, with the government sketching out more than €6 billion of new road concessions to be tendered between 2029 and 2031.
The plan was outlined by the Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Hugo Espírito Santo, at the 25th-anniversary congress of the APCAP (Portuguese Association of Motorway and Bridge Concessionaires) on 25 June. It would be the first new road PPP approved in 18 years — the last was the Pinhal Interior sub-concession in 2008.
At the same time, the government has opened talks with Brisa, the country's largest operator, over the future of the A8 and A15 motorways, whose Atlântico concession runs down towards the end of the decade.
What is on the table
- 33 priority routes identified in a March 2025 government resolution, totalling roughly 500 kilometres of road.
- More than €6 billion in total investment, with a minimum threshold of €200 million per lot.
- Each lot would bundle new construction with the maintenance and renewal of existing national roads inside a single geographic zone.
- Current status of the routes: 4 under construction, 6 in tender, 11 in study, 13 with studies already commissioned, and 2 more studies launching within weeks.
Crucially, the financing and tolling model is still being drawn up by the Institute for Mobility and Transport (IMT) and Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP), the state road manager. No decision has been taken on whether the new roads will be tolled — many of the prospective routes have no tolling infrastructure today.
Why Brisa matters
When existing concessions expire, they revert to Infraestruturas de Portugal. IP's president, Paulo Carmona, has said the agency is strengthening its concessions arm but is still awaiting political guidance on the model, which could involve subcontracting operation and maintenance rather than construction. Brisa's chief executive, António Pires de Lima, has argued that tolling and the "polluter-pays" principle remain essential to fund maintenance, climate resilience, road safety and the digitalisation of the network.
What this means for residents
- Tolls: Whether journeys on upgraded or newly built roads carry charges is still undecided — a live question for anyone who drives regularly outside the main cities.
- Regional access: The priority routes target under-served interior regions, potentially improving connections for residents outside Lisbon and Porto.
- Timeline: Nothing changes before 2029 at the earliest; this is a long-horizon programme, not an immediate shift.
The design of the toll model over the coming months will determine how much of the €6 billion bill ends up falling on drivers rather than the state budget — the detail worth watching as the first tenders take shape.
