El corte de tráfico protege al equipo de rodaje.

Because al is the mandatory contraction of a + el.

Here, proteger is being used with a human direct object: the film crew is a group of people, so Spanish uses the personal a:

• proteger a alguien = to protect someone

So:

• a + el equipo → al equipo

You cannot normally say a el equipo in standard Spanish.

That a is the personal a.

In Spanish, when the direct object is a specific person or group of people, it often takes a. Even though equipo literally means team, here it refers to the people making up the crew.

So:

• protege al equipo de rodaje
• literally: protects the filming crew

Compare:

• Protege la cámara = It protects the camera.
  No a, because cámara is a thing.
• Protege al cámara = It protects the camera operator.
  With a, because now it is a person.

Corte de tráfico means a traffic stoppage, road closure, or traffic hold, depending on context.

The noun corte often means a cut-off, interruption, or stoppage. With de tráfico, it refers to stopping or interrupting traffic.

In filming contexts, this could mean temporarily stopping vehicles so filming can happen safely.

So corte de tráfico is a fixed type of expression:

• corte de luz = power cut
• corte de agua = water cut / interruption of water supply
• corte de tráfico = traffic stoppage / road closure

Spanish very often uses noun + de + noun where English might use a noun as an adjective.

So instead of something like traffic cut as in English, Spanish says:

• corte de tráfico

This structure is extremely common:

• señal de tráfico = traffic sign
• accidente de tráfico = traffic accident
• normas de seguridad = safety rules

So de tráfico means something like related to traffic.

Here it means the film crew, not the physical equipment.

That can be confusing because equipo can mean:

• equipment
• team

But in equipo de rodaje, the usual meaning is the filming crew: the people involved in shooting a film, series, advert, etc.

If Spanish wanted to refer specifically to the gear, it would usually be clearer from context or use words like:

• material de rodaje
• equipo técnico
• cámaras y material

So in this sentence, equipo de rodaje is best understood as the crew.

In this context, rodaje means filming or shooting.

So:

• equipo de rodaje = filming crew / film crew
• durante el rodaje = during filming
• lugar de rodaje = filming location

Be aware that rodaje can have other meanings in other contexts, such as the running-in period of a machine or vehicle, but in film/TV contexts it means shooting/filming.

Normally, no. Spanish usually needs the definite article here: El corte de tráfico.

In Spanish, articles are used more often than in English, especially when talking about something specific or identifiable in context.

So:

• El corte de tráfico protege al equipo de rodaje = The traffic stoppage protects the film crew.

Without El, the sentence sounds incomplete or unnatural in normal usage.

Because the subject is singular:

• El corte de tráfico = the traffic stoppage

That whole phrase is one singular thing, so the verb must also be singular:

• El corte de tráfico protege...

If the subject were plural, the verb would change:

• Los cortes de tráfico protegen al equipo de rodaje.

Yes. The Spanish present tense often covers both ideas:

• protects
• is protecting

So protege can mean either, depending on context.

Spanish uses the simple present more broadly than English does. If Spanish wants to emphasize the ongoing action, it can also use:

• está protegiendo al equipo de rodaje

But the simple present is completely normal here.

This is the most neutral Spanish word order:

• Subject + verb + object
• El corte de tráfico protege al equipo de rodaje.

Spanish word order is more flexible than English, but this order is the standard, straightforward one.

You could change the order for emphasis, for example:

• Al equipo de rodaje lo protege el corte de tráfico.

But that sounds more marked or emphatic. For a normal statement, the original order is best.

Yes. In Spain, tráfico is the normal everyday word for traffic, especially road traffic.

Examples:

• hay mucho tráfico = there is a lot of traffic
• un accidente de tráfico = a traffic accident
• cortar el tráfico = to stop traffic

So corte de tráfico sounds natural in Peninsular Spanish.

Yes. Depending on context, there are several natural alternatives, for example:

• El corte de tráfico protege a los miembros del equipo de rodaje.
  More explicit: it protects the members of the crew.

• El cierre al tráfico protege al equipo de rodaje.
  Using cierre instead of corte.

• El corte de la circulación protege al equipo de rodaje.
  More formal or administrative-sounding.

But the original sentence is perfectly natural and concise.