Barcelona under construction: all the closures that will affect mobility this summer

BarcelonaSummer is here and, with it, construction work proliferates (even more) in Barcelona. The City Council and the Generalitat have made the now-classic announcement about mobility disruptions for this summer and have specified that they plan to carry out some forty actions in the Catalan capital. These are 24 construction projects and 18 paving operations that will directly affect the city's mobility. As every year, the administration tries to accumulate many of these works in the summer, specifically in August, precisely because it is the period of the year with fewer vehicles and, consequently, fewer inconveniences for residents and less impact.

Furthermore, this summer Barcelona faces "the final stretch" of some major urbanization works that have been underway for months, such as the transformation of Balmes street between Plaça Molina and Ronda del General Mitre, this July; the works on Meridiana avenue, between Felip II and Fabra i Puig, and those of the Vila i Vilà collector, in the autumn. The council has explained that in the coming summer months, work will also be done on the final phases of La Rambla — which is due to finish in February —, the urbanization of Gran Via above the Glòries tunnel, and the initial covering of the Ronda de Dalt, between exits 5 and 6.

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These are the main works planned for 2026 which, although numbering in the dozens, are far fewer than the more than a hundred works carried out in previous years. The deputy mayor and head of Urban Planning and Mobility, Laia Bonet, however, wanted to emphasize that these are "important works" that are "already entering the final stretch of the major transformations underway in the city during this term." The main actions are these:

Final stretch of works on Balmes

This summer, the complete paving of the street's roadway will take place on July 11 and 12, which will entail traffic closures. The project, started in 2024, has renovated 15,000 m², widened the sidewalks to over 4 meters, and incorporated more than a hundred new trees. When the work is finished and the final touches are made, the project will be considered complete, this same July.

Paving of Meridiana

The transformation of Meridiana avenue between Felip II and Fabra i Puig also ends, with paving between July 27 and August 14. This will be the work that, according to the City Council, may cause more mobility problems and more road closures, although they will be carried out in phases to try to minimize the impact. The work will also have a significant impact on bus services, especially on intercity buses that enter and leave via this route.

La Rambla, another major project that is nearing completion

On the Rambla, where work is currently being finished on the Raval side, between August 3 and 16, a section of pavement on the other side, the Gothic side, will be renewed to homogenize the work before restoring the descending direction on the Raval side. "This should allow us to focus on the end," point out sources from the council. The work is expected to be completely finished in the first half of February. This summer, the transversal crossings are expected to be eliminated and the central section opened.

Ronda de Dalt Coverage

TMB also explained a few weeks ago that it plans to renovate the L1 line Extension of L8

Regarding public transport, the works to extend the L8 of FGC will also generate a strong impact on the city. It is one of the largest ongoing projects. There will be impacts especially in the area of this large square and on Gran Via, where the attack shaft of the tunnel boring machine excavating this large underground tunnel is located. Thus, this summer there will once again be reductions of two and three lanes (depending on the phases of the work) at the Plaça d'Espanya roundabout and also the closure of Llança street between June and September: at this point, a microtunnel must be built to bring to the surface all the earth coming from the construction of the main tunnel through which the L8 will pass.

Metro works

On the metro network,TMB already explained a few weeks ago that it plans to renew the track of L1 between Santa Eulàlia and Mercat Nou, which will leave the section between Florida and Plaça de Sants out of service from July 17 to August 28. The link corridor between lines 1 and 3 at Catalunya will also be renovated, and will remain closed from July 6 to September 7.

The Generalitat will also carry out works on L9/L10 Nord at La Sagrera, with interruptions between La Sagrera and Onze de Setembre from June 26 to August 30, extended to Bon Pastor until September 6.

In addition, the Verdaguer station on L4 will remain closed from July 6 to August 30 for accessibility works, while the works for the new elevators at Plaça de Sants (L5) will force the closure of one direction of Carrer de Sants between July 13 and August 21.

Duplications on Trambesòs

The Trambesòs works will enter, according to the municipal team, a "decisive phase" with the interruption of lines T4, T5, and T6 between July 3 and September 13. The T4 will be cut between Verdaguer and El Maresme, while the T5 and T6 will be cut between Ciutadella-Vila Olímpica and Sant Martí de Provençals. To carry out the work and, at the same time, guarantee mobility, special bus lines are planned to replace the service.

Cut at FGC

Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) are also not exempt from the summer maintenance. Between August 11 and 23, service will be cut between Gràcia and Sarrià to renew the track between Gràcia, Muntaner, and Bonanova. In exchange, a road service will be implemented. All of this is part of a track renovation project that extends from Plaça de Catalunya to Sarrià with the aim of improving service robustness and reducing maintenance costs.

The Vallvidrera Funicular will also be out of service between July 27 and August 28 for its annual review and a general inspection of the vehicles, also with substitute transport.

Paving works

In parallel, and within the framework of the Endreça plan, there are 18 paving actions planned throughout the city, totaling almost 98,000 m². Among the most notable are those on Santaló street, Cerdà square, Moianès street, Can Marcet avenue, the Vidal i Barraquer-Rembrandt axis, various sections of Mare de Déu de Montserrat avenue, Maragall promenade, Gran Via, and Mallorca street. These works are part of the more than 1,300 maintenance actions and 36 transformation actions planned for this year, with an investment exceeding 200 million euros.

"We are very aware that the works generate inconvenience, even in summer, but they are transformations that we must address and are necessary to prepare the city, improve public transport, update essential infrastructure, and prepare the city for climate change," concluded Bonet.