The £142m mega-project in Majorca set to 'eliminate' major traffic jam in Balearic hotspot

Council officials in Majorca have announced a new set of infrastructure projects they claim will help solve the island's traffic congestion problems. The new road building programmes are part of an ambitious overhaul of transport networks on the island.

Known as the Palma Access Plan, officials will have a budget of €164 million (£142m) to spend on the various schemes. Earlier this month officials gave the green light to a project aimed at making improvements to Soller Road roundabout by the Son Castelló ITV (MOT) station in Palma. The works on the new roundabout are set to begin in January 2026 and will cost around €3.7 million.

The roundabout is a key junction helping to connect the Son Castelló industrial estate, Son Espases, the ring road and the Sóller road.

However, the junction is too small to deal with the ever growing number of vehicles, causing massive traffic jams during the rush hour periods. It is estimated that currently the roundabout handles over 50,000 vehicles per day.

Officials plan to expand the diameter of the roundabout from 55 to 85 metres, and additionally to create a direct entrance and exit to Son Sardina.

Bypass lanes from Son Castelló and Son Espases will also be built to alleviate traffic from the roundabout. The works also include the construction of a car park on Camí de Passatemps.

The council's president, Llorenç Galmés, said: "This is a long-awaited and highly-requested project.

"Our aim is to eliminate one of the most problematic areas for years in terms of traffic jams and bottlenecks on our daily network."

Rafael Gelabert, Majorca's Director of Infrastructures and Mobility, added:"The goal is to improve traffic flow at a highly congested point, with over 50,000 vehicles passing through daily."

Other projects announced by the council include work on the Son Veri to Llucmajor motorway, the Bunyola-Orient-Alaro and the Crestatx-Sa Pobla roads.

Mr Galmés also said that there will be two projects next year in the Tramuntana - Coll de Soller and Sa Calobra.