join the new tunnel with the old

The works of A-5 tunnel They have been conditioning Madrid’s traffic and the lives of its residents for a long time. The good news is that They are almost finishedat least as far as excavation is concerned. And just as has counted Borja Carabante, delegate of Urban Planning, Environment and Mobility of the Madrid City Council, the excavation will end in a few weeks, while the entire work is scheduled to end in December.

What exactly is left?. In one interview with TelemadridCarabante confirmed that the excavation of the tunnel out of Madrid will be completed on May 25. On the other hand, the works in the entrance direction have already been completed. Thus, the work enters its interior conditioning phase, and the objective is for vehicles to circulate through the new tunnel in December of this year.

A truce for its residents. According to Carabante, these are “the most important works that have been carried out in Madrid since Madrid Río.” And they are not only because of their size, but also because of the difficulty of executing them without closing the road to traffic at any time: nearly 100,000 vehicles pass through the A-5 a day, while underneath there lives a dense network of pipes, telephone wiring and other facilities.

The residents of the southwest corridor, including those of Móstoles and other municipalities on the outskirts, They have been adapting for months to the traffic cuts and the problems that the works have caused.

In detail. Just like account Telemadrid, around 600 workers and around 400 machines are currently working on the works. “We already have the Paseo de Extremadura tunnel, the connection with the old tunnel. Now we are executing the lower slab of the tunnel and then we will lay the pavement where the vehicles will circulate,” said the general director of Planning and Infrastructure of the City Council, Dolores Ortiz, in the ‘Buenos Días Madrid’ program.

Starting in June, the beams of the Batán and Boadilla structures will be placed, and after the summer the development of the new green corridor on the surface will begin. The section of the new tunnel begins on Padre Piquer Street.

However, there is still a delicate point to be reached. And the connection between the new tunnel and the old one will involve cut the 30th Street tunnel completely to demolish the wall, excavate and integrate all the systems. According to the media, the tunnel will have three lanes in each direction (two for private traffic and one for buses and high-occupancy vehicles), with artificial intelligence systems and cameras to verify that these conditions are met at all times.

Material reuse. In terms of sustainability, there are also actions worth commenting on. And according to they count From the City Council, all the material extracted during the excavation is being reused: part will be used for the meter of earth that will go on the roof of the tunnel and the rest is shaping new hills that will be covered with vegetation in Aluche. The old pavement of the A-5 has been used in the temporary detours. Besides, geothermal energy will be used to air condition the Ángel González Library and photovoltaic panels to power the future green promenade.

And now what. The tunnel opens in December, but that doesn’t mean everything is finished. And when it opens, it will be at that moment when the works on the surface will begin, urbanizing the land of the corridor so that the new accesses become an integrated part of the avenue.

On the other hand, the City Council has on its radar the extension of the burial to the M-40although Carabante recognizes that it is a “very complicated” project and of an even greater economic magnitude than the current phase. Its execution is planned for the next legislature and would depend on co-financing with the Ministry of Development, linked to the development of Operation Camp.

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