Accident on the A-23 causes two-kilometre tailbacks towards Puerto de Sagunto
An accident at kilometre marker 1.2 of the A-23 motorway has forced the closure of the left lane towards Puerto de Sagunto this Wednesday morning, according to Spain's traffic authority (DGT).
Spain's traffic authority, the DGT (Dirección General de Tráfico), confirmed an accident on the A-23 motorway near Sagunto on Wednesday, causing significant delays for drivers heading towards Puerto de Sagunto (the coastal, industrial district of Sagunto). The crash occurred at kilometre marker 1.2 and forced the closure of the left lane, leading to two kilometres of tailbacks in the area.
According to official information, the closure directly affects traffic heading to the port area, one of the most used access routes for people who work in the industrial estate and the large companies based in that part of Sagunto. The A-23 connects the municipality with the inland part of the province and acts as a regular corridor both for freight traffic linked to local industry and for workers' daily commutes.
The DGT is advising drivers to take extra care approaching the affected stretch and to expect delays until emergency services clear the blocked lane. No information has yet been released about injuries or the exact cause of the crash, and the authority has not given an estimated time for traffic to return to normal.
In the first hours after this kind of incident, authorities typically prioritise helping any injured parties and reopening traffic before confirming the exact cause of the crash, which is usually established once the police report is complete. Emergency services also remind drivers that, whenever a lane is closed, it is best to avoid driving on the hard shoulder to get around the tailback, since that practice makes it harder for ambulances, fire crews and patrol cars to reach the scene.
Incidents like this are especially sensitive in Sagunto because they coincide with rising commuter traffic linked to new industrial plants, including PowerCo's battery gigafactory (Volkswagen Group's electric-vehicle battery plant), which is in its start-up phase this very month of September. The growing number of vehicles entering and leaving Puerto de Sagunto daily means that any lane closure on the A-23 quickly turns into queues affecting a wide stretch of the morning, especially during rush hour. Alongside that commuter traffic, the road also carries a steady flow of lorries linked to industries such as ArcelorMittal (the local steel mill) and the Saggas gas terminal, both of which rely heavily on Puerto de Sagunto for their daily logistics — meaning a closure like Wednesday's affects freight transport for major local employers just as much as everyday commuting.
The DGT runs a permanent information service on road conditions, available through its website, its mobile app and its official social media account, where drivers can check live lane closures and incidents anywhere on the road network, including the A-23. Checking these channels before setting off can help anyone planning to travel through the area in the coming hours to better estimate journey times and decide whether to wait or take an alternative route.
Sagunto is organised around two distinct urban centres — the historic town centre and Puerto de Sagunto, on the coast — linked by a handful of main roads, among which the A-23 plays a central role. Services such as the district hospital, many secondary schools and the main administrative offices are split between the two centres, so daily journeys between the historic centre and Puerto de Sagunto are not only about commuting to work but also about medical appointments, paperwork and the everyday life of hundreds of families who cross the city several times a day.
The closure also comes at a time of year when traffic is already busier than usual: the return to work and school after summer adds thousands of daily journeys to Camp de Morvedre's roads every September, which helps explain why incidents like this one produce longer tailbacks than they would at quieter times of year.
In any case, this is the kind of incident that, in line with what usually happens in crashes without serious injuries, tends to be resolved within a few hours. Further updates from the DGT should clarify both the exact cause of the crash and the expected time for the left lane to fully reopen. In the meantime, the general advice for anyone driving through the Sagunto area this morning remains the same: patience, a safe following distance, and close attention to the instructions given by officers at the scene.
The city council has not issued any additional statement about the incident, which falls under the DGT's routine management of the road network. Residents who need to travel towards Puerto de Sagunto in the coming hours are advised to check traffic conditions before leaving and consider alternative routes if possible, since the tailback could persist while clean-up work continues on the left lane.
According to El Periódico de Aquí.
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