- The municipal government plans to tender the works before the end of the mandate so that they begin in 2024.
Barcelona City Council is preparing a project to build a new green promenade in the section of Gran Via over the Glòries tunnels, that is, between the streets of Badajoz and Bilbao.
The Deputy Mayor for Urban Planning, Janet Sanz, points out that the objective is the definitive transformation of the area where there is already a temporary performance, with spaces for stays and games. The project plans to renovate 70,000 m² so that green is “the protagonist“, with a large grove of trees 21 meters wide. In addition, there will be a lane on both sides for the passage of bicycles, local traffic and services, and a bidirectional space for buses and trams. The forecast is to tender the works before the end of the mandate so that they begin in 2024.
According to Sanz, the final transformation project proposal responds to the commitments made with the residents and the district of San Martín. “Thanks to the Glòries tunnel,” he says, the residents of this section have seen a “substantial” reduction in cars, noise, and pollution. For this reason, he adds, it is also necessary to continue with the logic of transformation and make a space ” that symbolizes a green boulevard” that will connect with Glòries park. “It seems utopian, but with the project, we show that it can materialize very soon”, he points out.
The reorganization proposal proposes maintaining a wide promenade space, 21 meters wide, which will house some 200 benches and chairs as places to stay, as well as play areas, picnic areas, or tennis-table or chess tables, among others. Regarding the zip lines that exist now, Sanz affirms that from the outset the project does not specify what happens with them and does not rule out locating them in another space if the noise bothers the neighbors.
In addition to maintaining the promenade and adding furniture, the promenade will be “renatured” with the planting of some 450 trees and shrubs and wide sidewalks. On the side where there are houses, there will be a lane with a single platform that will integrate the passage of bicycles, local traffic, and service vehicles. On the other side, where the Glòriess shopping center is, a lane for local use and bicycles and a space for the double-sided tram and buses. The intersections with the streets Rec Comtal/Llacuna, Rambla del Poblenou/Clot, Ciutat de Granada, and the entrances to the shopping center will be “wide” spaces.
The next step, according to Sanz, is to take the final executive project to the government commission for approval on April 20, so that the works can be tendered before the end of the term to begin in the first quarter of 2024.
Urbanization is structured in two phases. The first will be the bidding for the works that correspond to the side where there are residential buildings. The forecast is that the works begin in 2024 and last until the beginning of 2025, with an investment of 11.5 million euros.
The second phase will be the urbanization of the sea sidewalk and it will be done jointly with the ATM since the tram will pass through. The City Council points out that a part of the investment will be borne by the ATM, despite the fact that it has not yet specified amounts. These works would begin when the first phase was finished and it is estimated that they will end in the spring of 2026.