L’Ajuntament de Barcelona has given the go-ahead this Tuesday to the projects for the last phase of the Diagonal streetcar works that will finally connect the two streetcar networks that are now separated, the Trambaix and the Trambesòs.
How will they do it? The most important intervention will be the construction of the section that is currently missing for the connection, which goes from Verdaguer to Plaça de Francesc Macià.
New Diagonal streetcar stops explained phase by phase.
In the first phase, the Diagonal – Cinc d’Oros stop, between Passeig de Sant Joan and Passeig de Gràcia, will be built. This section will have a similar design to the one that currently exists between Glòries and Verdaguer, with a central platform for the streetcar and a two-way bicycle lane. Pedestrians will gain space, with sidewalks up to 7.5 meters wide.
Once this phase is completed, the second phase will be between Passeig de Gràcia and Francesc Macià. The sidewalks reformed in 2015 will be maintained, with a central platform for streetcar and bike lane.
The existing bike lane will disappear from the sides to join the central streetcar island. There will be two new stops, Balmes and Casanova.
Finally, there will be the large interchange at Francesc Macià, which will be the great work that will definitively connect the two sections.
To this end, the current Francesc Macià stop will be renovated and enlarged so that users can easily change between the streetcar and various bus lines (urban and interurban). The sidewalks around the square will also be repaired to give more space to pedestrians. In total, these will gain 16,000 m².
Works on the avenue’s collector and time of execution
At the same time, the collector will be doubled, which will involve renewing and extending the large sewer pipe that runs under the Diagonal. According to the city council, this will improve water management and prevent flooding in this area.
The entire work will take about 40 months to complete. The tendering of the work projects and their execution is still pending, so there is no scheduled inauguration date at this time.