Chaotic day on the Ma-19: How safe is the airport motorway really?

Chaotic day on the Ma-19: Accident at El Molinar brings the airport motorway to a standstill

A Thursday midday, bright sun, 31°C — and suddenly the Ma-19 is at a standstill. Around 12:45 PM a tractor-trailer collided with a small delivery van at the El Molinar exit. The van tipped over, blocked the right lane and within minutes caused a backup that stretched as far as El Rafal. Local coverage described the incident in detail in Gran atasco en la Ma-19 tras accidente de camión en El Molinar. Fortunately: no serious injuries, but many frustrated commuters and nervous travelers heading to the airport.

What remained of the chaos — and what do eyewitnesses report?

On site there was the smell of espresso from a nearby kiosk, taxis waiting, passengers getting out and staring at the crash scene. Eyewitnesses describe the truck clipping the Fiat delivery van while changing lanes — which then tipped over. The Guardia Civil cordoned off the area; two of the three lanes remained passable. Recovery teams arrived, righted the vehicle, cleared debris and an oil slick; the cleanup took several hours.

Luck in misfortune: Paramedics treated several people with minor injuries, and an ambulance stayed on site. No major emergencies were reported. Still: mobility chaos at the airport junction is not a minor disruption — for commuters and tourist operations, minutes add up to tangible problems.

Key question: Is the Ma-19 adequate for mixed traffic with heavy trucks?

The incident raises the central question that otherwise only surfaces amidst frequent jams: How well is the airport motorway designed for the mix of commuter traffic, bus lines, taxis and heavy freight? On Mallorca roads are often narrower and merge lanes short — a poor combination under hot midday sun and dense traffic. Previous serious collisions on the Ma-19, for example Accidente mortal en la Ma-19 cerca de Llucmajor: por qué los motociclistas siguen afectados, underscore risks for vulnerable users. The Ma-19 is both lifeline and bottleneck.

Aspects that are seldom discussed

1) Truck frequency and time windows: Many heavy transports run throughout the day. Would concentrating them into specific time windows (night or morning slots) reduce peak risks?
2) Maintenance, load securing and tire wear: Heat can stress tires, poorly secured loads change vehicle dynamics — such details only emerge after accidents.
3) Infrastructure at junctions: Merge and exit lanes are often short, sight lines can be restricted by parked vehicles or construction.
4) Coordination of emergency services: A fast, coordinated towing and cleanup service shortens congestion time — here huge differences between shifts often become apparent.

Concrete solutions — what could help now

A few pragmatic proposals that could have an immediate effect on Mallorca: increased truck checks at access points, stricter enforcement of load securing and tire conditions, fixed time windows for freight traffic to spread demand, temporary restrictions during heat spells and clear markings on merge lanes. Technically helpful would be more cameras and networked Variable Message Signs (VMS) that detect disruptions early and suggest detours.

In the long term, investments in additional overtaking lanes at critical sections pay off or — more realistically — designated truck routes around the Palma metropolitan area that do not run directly past the airport. Better coordination of recovery services with the Guardia Civil could also significantly reduce cleanup time.

For commuters and travelers: simple rules

Anyone who regularly uses the Ma-19 should plan for contingencies: leave earlier, check alternative routes like Passeig Marítim or Carretera de Llucmajor, and monitor radio stations or apps at hotspots. And yes — an extra coffee break is often wiser than being stuck in a frantic traffic jam.

The Guardia Civil continues to ask for information from witnesses who saw the accident. If you saw something: please report it. Small details help the investigation and perhaps the next driver passing that spot.

I was at the exit shortly after the accident: police officers were directing the lanes, smartphones were searching for signal, somewhere quiet radio hits played — not a pleasant sight, but a reminder of how fragile our traffic flow is. An accident like this is a good reason not only to be annoyed, but also to ask how we can avoid such situations in the future.