A four-story warehouse on Gran Via to mask the noise of the tunnel boring machine: the next phase of construction on the L8 line in Barcelona.

BarcelonaThe works on the L8 of the Generalitat Railways are preparing for a new phase: the arrival of the Tunnel boring machine that will drill through Barcelona from Plaza Espanya to the Gràcia neighborhood, next year. To introduce this large cutting machine underground, it is obviously necessary to make a hole through which the pieces will be lowered into the subsoil, the machine will be assembled, and drilling will begin. This attack shaft will be located on Gran Via, next to Plaça Espanya, between Llança and Vilamarí streets. It will run 20 meters underground but will nevertheless be very visible to residents because the hole doesn't reach it alone.

Just above this new shaft—which will begin excavating this June—the Generalitat will build a large space that will encapsulate this entire area. How? Well, with a 20-meter-wide warehouse equivalent to four floors in height. The construction will extend an entire block, between Llança and Vilamarí streets, and will be just five meters from the facades of the buildings on the seaside of Gran Via. The size, according to Territori sources, will be "practically the size of a factory."

The objective of this mega-construction—which will remain in place for the duration of the tunnel boring, meaning between a year and a half and two years in an "optimistic" scenario for the technicians—is to reduce the constant noise generated by the work. "The tunnel boring machine will work day and night," say sources from Territori, who assure that this way, despite the visual impact of the mega-building, acoustically, coexistence with the construction will be more bearable.

And what will happen inside? The building will cover the shaft and also the entire work area. Inside, the segments (the large concrete arches that will form the tunnel wall) and all the other necessary materials and machinery will be stored. It will also cover part of the earthwork circuit that will allow the sand to be transported from the tunnel to the outside and, above all, will cover "all the movement and noise" that this process will generate. The building will begin construction in July and will be built in three parts. By the end of the year, it will be complete and will occupy the entire length of the block.

This construction in the middle of Gran Via was not initially planned for the project, but technicians deemed it necessary to continue the work. However, Territori emphasizes that it has not incurred any additional costs because the construction is part of the corrective measures already planned in the initial budget.

Informing neighbors

Among the most obvious inconveniences that the mega-vessel will cause is the fact that it will obscure the views from the balconies and windows of several homes. For this reason, the Generalitat (Catalan government) and the City Council began informing all affected residents this afternoon. They will explain the details of the new construction they will have to live with and will also inform more than 1,245 homes that the tunnel boring machine will be launched next year and will pass beneath their buildings.

During this time, both administrations want to inspect and assess (if the owners allow them entry) the condition of the apartments through which the tunnel will pass, to ensure they are in good condition, record any existing defects in the construction, and be able to act quickly if any cracks appear.

Long-awaited works

The works on L8 were planned more than two decades ago, but they formally began only three years ago. The first earthworks began a year and a half ago, and now the works have already turned Barcelona upside down and affect not only Plaza España and the surroundings of Gran Via, but also the Urgell Street, the square Francesc Macià (where a new station of the route is located), the Clínic (where a second new station is located), Muntaner Street and the square Gala Placídia, in Gràcia, where the connection ends.

This part of the project has a budget of 412 million euros and is expected to last five years. The goal is to connect the FGC line from Llobregat and Anoia with the Barcelona-Vallès line. To achieve this, construction of this new tunnel is just beginning. The connection will have two new stops, at Clínic and Francesc Macià, and will provide underground access to this part of the city, which until now had no metro service.