The 340-meter covering of the Ronda de Dalt in Vall d’Hebron is starting to take shape two years after the works began. If last summer the central wall was erected, now it’s the turn of the slab that will hide this road scar between Vallcarca avenue and the Vall d’Hebron institute. Although there is still a lot of work ahead, drivers passing underneath and residents seeing it from above will already appreciate how the six open-air lanes progressively turn into a tunnel.
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This week, the first of the 56 pre-slabs have begun to be installed, which will cover the approximately 340-meter section that will provide continuity to the 200 meters already covered at the height of Vall d’Hebron. The transformation of this half-kilometer, which began nine years ago, will be completed by the end of next year, as to finalize the construction of the slab and cover it completely, the corresponding security systems must first be installed and tested. From this summer until its completion in a few months, it will be something like a tunnel with open windows through which light enters.
When the works are finished, “there will be a significant qualitative leap in the quality of life of the residents of these mountain neighborhoods,” according to the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, who visited the night works. At the construction site, he expressed his conviction that the success of the covered part in front of the Vall d’Hebron market since 2023 will be replicated, “with new spaces for enjoyment and stay in neighborhoods like La Teixonera and Sant Genís, where there aren’t many.” A neighborhood participation process will define exactly what will be done in the space that will hide the passage of cars.
In parallel, the mayor wants to start shaping the next phase, in the area directly opposite the Vall d’Hebron hospital, where the new outpatient clinic building will be erected. “The commitment is not to stop, and once this phase is finished, we will face the next one,” Collboni remarked.
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For now, in the current phase of the works, probably the most striking, a large crane is placing the pieces (20 tons each) that will complete the slab as if it were a puzzle that fits with the central wall and the two side walls. To do this, it is essential to cut off traffic between exits 5 and 6, which has led the City Council to concentrate the work during the night from Monday to Thursday from July 20 to August 6, some of the days with the least mobility of the year.
Even so, there is always someone circulating on the Ronda de Dalt. Those affected are diverted through the upper side roads, and although it may seem that at one in the morning on a Tuesday in July there isn’t much traffic, the resulting collapse is significant.
In addition to the nighttime impact, during the month of August, traffic will be reduced from three lanes to two to advance installation work on the side walls and emergency exits. This also requires reducing the maximum speed to 40 km/h throughout this section while the summer works last.
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