Tarragona province was hit by major traffic disruption on Wednesday, 27 May 2026, when teachers blocked a 43-kilometre stretch of the AP-7 motorway between El Vendrell and Vila-seca.
The protest began shortly after 11am and brought traffic to a standstill on one of Catalonia’s main road links. Alternative routes, including the A-7 and the N-340, quickly became congested.
Many lorry drivers and transport operators voiced frustration on social media. Some criticised the protest for affecting workers on the road, while others called for demonstrations to be held outside the Generalitat or the Department of Education headquarters.
Catalan emergency services, Protecció Civil, activated the PROCICAT plan as a pre-alert for possible traffic incidents. Mossos d’Esquadra and Trànsit redirected vehicles, closed access points to the AP-7 and used illuminated panels and cones to stop more drivers from entering the blocked section. For official traffic updates, see Trànsit and Protecció Civil.
At first, many lorries and other vehicles were trapped on the motorway in both directions before a diversion system was organised. The A-7 and N-340 then absorbed the diverted traffic, with long queues reported between El Vendrell and Creixell, and between Torredembarra and Tarragona.
In a separate but related protest, teachers in Salt, Girona province, also blocked a section of the AP-7 on Wednesday morning. About 1,200 people reached the motorway by crossing an embankment just after 11am, following a demonstration called by trade unions at 9am and led by the Coordinadora d’Assemblees Educatives of the Girona regions. The Salt blockade was lifted earlier than planned, and the coordinator later urged teachers to join a new mobilisation scheduled for between Sunday, 31 May and Monday, 1 June. For more Catalonia news, see News.