DANIEL SOMOLINOS Madrid

Madrid

Updated Thursday, February 1, 2024-1:30 p.m.

The capital's City Council gave a thumbs up this Thursday to the specifications that contemplate the execution work of the so-called Paseo Verde del Suroeste,

starting with the burying of the A-5

and its connections with the M-30. Two of the three lots planned for bidding have been approved and, if everything follows as agreed,

works will begin at the end of 2024.

The first of these lots, for 175,906,354 euros, includes the space from Padre Piquer to Batán. This enclave

includes a new roundabout located on Avenida de los Poblados

, south of the A-5. Roundabout, according to the City Council, necessary to redistribute mobility in the environment. For its part, lot 2, for 171,477,900 euros, covers from Batán to Avenida de Portugal. Here the communications and telematic connections of the new tunnel with the rest of the Calle 30 management network will stand out.

The budget for these two lots

is 347,384,255 euros

. Work is expected to begin in the last quarter of the year with a completion period of 25 months. To this investment, another 57.8 million euros will be added to carry out the surface development over the A-5 tunnel (lot 3).

Render of the burial of the A-5.EM

This action aims to recover for the residents the space currently occupied by the highway, which divides the Latina district in two. Since 1968,

the neighborhoods of Lucero, Aluche and Las Águilas have been separated from those of Campamento and Casa de Campo

(the latter belonging to the Moncloa-Aravaca district) by this asphalt that 80,000 vehicles cross daily and which generates large traffic congestion. traffic.

The coverage of the A-5 will allow continuity of the pedestrianized boulevard from Avenida de Portugal to Avenida del Padre Piquer in

an action that includes a total of 3.2 kilometers.

From the Environment and Mobility area, headed by Borja Carabante, they assure that, "with this work,

surface vehicles will be reduced by 90%

and also polluting emissions." And they add: "In addition to recovering surface space for residents,

pedestrian mobility on public transport and roads will be improved

, also resulting in the improvement of road safety in the environment. And traffic jam problems will be resolved. in conflictive connections such as Paseo de Extremadura, Batán and Boadilla".

Cycling mobility will be promoted thanks to

the construction of a 3.5 km bidirectional bike lane

, which will start on Illescas Street and connect with the existing one on Portugal Avenue, linking with Madrid Río. This will enhance the use of this means of transport to access the center. On the surface, there will be wider sidewalks and

33 new pedestrian connections compared to the current 16

, favoring foot traffic.

Render of the burial of the A-5.EM

Underground, the new tunnel will have a distribution of three lanes in each direction. The ones closest to the median on both carriageways

have been designed for use as bus-HOV lanes,

equipped with variable signage that will allow their use to be regulated depending on the traffic needs at any given time.

Likewise, the execution project of the Southwestern Green Walk will allow the creation of new green areas for the residents of this area on the surface of 80,000 square meters

created on the new A-5 tunnel already buried

. It will have, as can be seen from the first sketches,

more than 7,200 trees

: 6,956 coniferous specimens will be planted and 330 specimens will be transplanted (308 hardwoods and 22 conifers).