# Autopista de Circunvalación M-30

The M-30 orbital motorway circles the central districts of Madrid, the capital city of Spain. It is the innermost ring road of the Spanish city, with a length of 32.5 km. Outer rings are named M-40, M-45 and M-50. Its length and the surface surrounded by the M-30 is comparable to the Boulevard Périphérique of Paris, the Grande Raccordo Anulare of Rome or the London Inner Ring Road.
It has, at least, three lanes in each direction, supplemented in some parts by two or three lane auxiliary roads. It connects to the main Spanish radial national roads that start in Madrid.
The M30 is the busiest Spanish road, famous for its traffic jams, and surrounded by several landmarks such as Torrespaña (one of the tallest structures in Madrid), the national headquarters of IBM, and passed under the Vicente Calderón Stadium.

## History

Its construction started in the 1960s and required the underground canalisation of the Abroñigal river, required to avoid flooding since the road runs through the lowest part of the city. In the 1970s the eastern section (Avenida de la Paz) was open between the junction of Manoteras (cross with the A-1, M-11 and accesses to Sanchinarro) and the Nudo Sur (South Junction), that connects to the Avenida de Andalucía (previously N-IV) and A-4.
The second and western section, the Avenida del Manzanares, follows the course of the Manzanares river from the northwestern Puerta de Hierro junction to the junction with the eastern section.
In the 1990s, the ring road was completed with the construction of the northern section, called Avenida de la Ilustración (the only section of the road with traffic lights) from the junction of Puerta de Hierro (accession to Cardenal Herrera Oria street, M40, and El Pardo road) to the junction of Manoteras with the A-1.
In 2003, the highway was transferred from the Government of Spain to the City Council of Madrid. Mayor Alberto Ruiz Gallardón implemented a plan called "Calle 30" (Street 30), converting sections of the highway in the Manzanares course into tunnels, and building an urban park (Madrid Río) in the surface previously occupied by asphalt. From 2005 to 2008, major upgrading works took place, and now a significant portion of the southern part runs underground. They are the longest urban motorway tunnels in Europe, with sections of more than 6 km in length and 3 to 6 lanes in each direction, between the south entry of the Avenida de Portugal tunnel and the north exit of the M-30 south by-pass there are close to 10 km of continuous tunnels. The M30 tunnels run between a point roughly 700 meters north of the junction with A5 motorway and continue all the way up to the junction between M30 and A3 motorway. The total cost of the works was over 7 billion euro.

## Urban, economic, environmental and cultural significance

The M-30 surrounds the inner core (the central districts) of Madrid: Centro, Arganzuela, Retiro, Salamanca, Chamartín, Tetuán, and Chamberí, as well as a small part of Moncloa-Aravaca. This core is home to one quarter of the population of Madrid (about 800,000 people) and is, in average, wealthier than the rest of the city. Also, housing prices are higher inside the M-30. Popularly, the city Madrid is divided in dentro de la M-30 (inside the M-30) and fuera de la M-30 (outside the M-30). The M-30 itself is touted by Madrileños and media as a barrier between the rich and the poor sections of the city.
Pay-per-use parking lots and parking meters in Madrid (usually called ORA in Spain, but SER in Madrid) only exist in the area within the M-30. Access by car to the inner core and the M-30 itself may be restricted in days of high air pollution.

## Multimedia Gallery

* M-30 North
* M-30 East
* Underground stretch of the M-30
* M30 passing under the north side of the Vicente Calderón Stadium (now demolished)
* Madrid Río park. Until 2007, this space was occupied by the M-30; now the road traverses a tunnel below the park.

## Exit list

The M-30 has the following exits:
| # | Destinations | Notes |
| | Via de Servicio - Centro Comercial, Sanchinarro, Las Tablas | |
| | A-1 – Alcobendas, Burgos | |
| 2 | M-11 to Calle de Arturo Soria (E-90) / A-2 / A-3 / A-4 – Feria de Madrid, Madrid-Barajas Airport, Zaragoza | |
| 1 | Avenida Monforte de Lemos, Calle de Sinesio Delgado, Avenida de Burgos, Avenida de Pío XII – Estación de Chamartín | |
| 3 | Calle de Serrano Galvache, Avenida de San Luis | Counterclockwise exit and entrance |
| 4B | Plaza Castilla | Counterclockwise exit and clockwise entrance |
| 4A | Calle de Arturo Soria | Counterclockwise exit and entrance |
| 2 | Calle de Costa Rica – Plaza de José María Soler | Signed as exit 5 counterclockwise |
| 3 | Avenida de Ramón y Cajal – Palacio de Congresos de Madrid | Signed as exit 6 counterclockwise |
| 4A | Avenida de América, Calle de Serrano | Signed as exit 7 counterclockwise |
| 4B | A-2 / Calle de Arturo Soria – Zaragoza | Signed as exit 7 counterclockwise |
| 5 | Parque de las Avenidas | Clockwise exit and entrance |
| 8 | Calle de la Salvador de Madariaga – Tanatorio | Counterclockwise exit and entrance |
| 6 | Calle de Alcalá – Plaza de Cibeles | No counterclockwise exit |
| 7 | Avenida Marqués de Corbera, Calle de O'Donnell – Puerta de Alcalá | Clockwise exit and counterclockwise entrance |
| 8 | M-23 to R-3 – Vicálvaro, Valencia, Spain | Clockwise exit and counterclockwise entrance |
| 9 | A-3 – Valencia, Spain | |
| 10 | Calle de Estrella Polar, Calle de Sirio | Clockwise exit and counterclockwise entrance |
| 11 | Plaza Conde de Casal – Parque del Retiro | Clockwise exit and counterclockwise entrance |
| | Avenida Ciudad de Barcelona, Avenida de la Albufera – Estación de Atocha | Clockwise exit and counterclockwise entrance |
| | To A-4 / A-42 / Calle de Méndez Alvaro – Córdoba, Toledo | |
| | Glorieta Pirámides, Glorieta Marqués de Vadillo | |
| | Paseo de la Ermita del Santo | Counterclockwise exit and entrance |
| 17 | Paseo de la Virgen del Puerto, Calle de Segovia, Paseo de Extremadura – Casa de Campo | |
| 18 | Plaza España / A-5 – Badajoz | |
| | Calle de San Pol de Mar | Clockwise exit and entrance |
| | Calle Santa Fe | Clockwise exit and entrance |
| 20A | Avenida Valladolid, Paseo del Pintor Rosales | Signed as exit 20 counterclockwise |
| 20B | M-500 (Carretera de Castilla) | Signed as exit 20 counterclockwise |
| | C.P. Agronomos Facultades de Filologia y Estadistica | |
| 23A | A-6 – Madrid, Moncloa | No clockwise exit |
| 23B | A-6 – A Coruña | Signed as exit 23 clockwise |
| 23 | Calle de Sinesio Delgado | No counterclockwise exit |
| | Calle de Arroyofresno, Avenida Ventisquero de la Condesa | Clockwise exit and counterclockwise entrance |
| | Avenida del Cardenal Herrera Oria / M-605 to M-40 / M-607 – El Pardo, Colmenar Viejo | Clockwise exit and counterclockwise entrance |
| | M-40 to A-6 – A Coruña | No clockwise exit |
| | Calle de Cantalejo, Avenida de Miraflores, Avenida Los Pinos, Calle del Dr. Ramón Castroviejo | |
| | Avenida Ventisquero de la Condesa | |
| Gap in freeway |||
| | M-607 – Tres Cantos, Colmenar Viejo | |
| | Paseo de la Castellana, Plaza Castilla – Hospital Universitario La Paz | Counterclockwise exit not accessible from other end of M-30 |
| 31B | V. Begona – Fuencarral | Counterclockwise exit and entrance |