More works in Barcelona: the Rovira tunnel will be closed for four months in the downward direction

BarcelonaMore road closures due to construction work in Barcelona. The city council of the Catalan capital explained on Tuesday that the Rovira tunnel will be closed to traffic in the downward direction for four months from 23 March due to works to improve the infrastructure. According to the council, the closure will affect 18,000 vehicles that pass through the tunnel in that direction every day. The first deputy mayor, Laia Bonet, has defended the importance of the work and has asked the public for "patience".

The works, which have a budget of 17.4 million euros, aim to update and adapt the infrastructure of the tunnel, which dates back to 1987 and is about 1,300 metres long. Among the objectives of the works is to improve the safety of the infrastructure with the construction of three evacuation galleries and the installation of new cameras, variable message panels and barriers, beacons and traffic lights in case it is necessary to close the tunnel.

In addition, the pavement will also be renovated and all the lighting will be replaced. Finally, structural pathologies of the tunnel will be fixed to avoid one of its endemic problems: water filtration. To prevent this, cracks and joints will be repaired and the waterproofing of the existing infrastructure and drainage will be renewed.

After these four months, work will begin on the tube on the other side, which will involve a traffic cut in the upstream direction for another month.

Alternative routes

While the cut lasts, alternative routes have been established to facilitate the journeys for vehicles, either from the Karl Marx square or from the Avenida de la República Argentina. A detour is also planned: from the Avenida del Estatut, to link up with the Calle de Lisboa, the Calle de Tajo (a second downhill lane will be enabled on all three) and the Paseo de Maragall to the Calle de Sant Antoni Maria Claret.

The works will also affect different bus lines. On the V21 two stops on the Rambla del Carmel will be cancelled and a temporary stop will be enabled on the Calle de Dante. The line will be reinforced to maintain the frequency, especially during rush hour. On the 102 line, the current origin and end stop will be cancelled and moved a few metres to the Paseo de Maragall. And, finally, the 112 line will keep a stop in front of the CAP and will move the origin and end stop of the line to the Calle de Porto.