Every day, an average of 35,800 vehicles circulate on the Via Rápida and 6,800 on the Expresso.
The number of motor vehicles in circulation on the two main roads in the Autonomous Region of Madeira increased last year by 16% on Via Rápida and 25% on Vias Expresso, respectively, compared to 2019, the pre-pandemic year.
According to information made available this Monday by the Regional Directorate of Statistics of Madeira (DREM), according to data sent by the Regional Directorate of Roads (DRE), in the year 2023, the road traffic count increased by 8.5% in Via Rápida and 12.7% in Vias Expresso, compared to 2022.
If we compare with 2019, growth was higher, at 16.2% and 25.0%, respectively.
On concession routes, the aforementioned increases compared to 2022 were driven by light traffic (+8.6% on Via Rápida; +13.2% on Via Expresso).
In heavy vehicle traffic, the variation was equally positive on Via Rápida (+3.4%), although of a smaller magnitude. In Vias Expresso there was a drop of 5.3%.
In 2023, the weighted average daily traffic registered, in average terms, almost 35.8 thousand vehicles on Via Rápida and 6.8 thousand vehicles on Vias Expresso, representing increases of +8.7% and +12.7%, by same order.
The evolution of light vehicle traffic (+8.9% on Via Rápida; +13.2% on Via Expresso) had a decisive impact on that variation.
Due to the reduced volume of heavy vehicle traffic (respectively, 2.3% and 2.1% of the total), the variations compared to 2022 (+3.2% on Via Rápida; -4.8% on Vias Expresso) are little conditioned the evolution of the indicator as a whole, indicates DREM.