The works of Parque Castellana, the project that will involve the undergrounding of Paseo de la Castellana between Calle Sinesio Delgado and Nudo Norte de la M-30, will begin next week. This was announced by the Deputy Mayor and municipal spokesperson, Inma Sanz, after the weekly meeting of the Governing Board. The contract specifications, formalized last February, established a four-month deadline for the awardee to draft the execution project, complementing the basic project presented in the tender with the requirements made by the various municipal services. As a result of this process, significant improvements worth 9.8 million euros have been incorporated into the project, bringing the total budget of Parque Castellana to 110.2 million euros, 6.8 million below the base budget of the tender.
Among the improvements, several adaptations of the proposed design stand out with the aim of improving the mobility of the area. The new bike lane will be located on the east side of the park and, also on this side, one of the two lanes planned will be dedicated to a bus lane, which will result in the creation of new bus stops on the sidewalk. Additionally, an acceleration lane will be built for buses heading to M-607 to merge onto Nudo Norte. Added to this are increased pedestrian connections between both sides and an increase in fixed and variable signage in the final surface layout.
To minimize the impact on mobility during the construction work, the north-south Castellana lateral road will be equipped with a bus lane in addition to the two existing lanes. On the south-north side, the sidewalk will be expanded for the installation of bus stops, both urban and interurban. Furthermore, traffic diversion and pedestrian signalized itineraries will be expanded on both sides, along with an increase in temporary traffic lights.
The execution project introduces improvements to minimize the impact of the tunnel on existing services such as the supply gallery of Canal de Isabel II that runs parallel to the axis of the undergrounding. Access to the tunnel from Calle Monforte de Lemos will be optimized. The layouts of several emergency exits will also be optimized to avoid crossing under the mentioned Canal gallery. Additionally, to improve construction times, construction methods will be standardized to reduce the number of different equipment needed, thereby improving efficiencies by providing more continuity to work teams. Furthermore, improvements have been made to the finishes of the tunnel, technical rooms, and stairs, increasing the height of the linings to enhance future maintenance.
The improvements also include adapting the basic project to the update, subsequent to the announcement of the tender, of various articles of the general technical specifications related to special tunnel facilities. These new requirements relate to ventilation systems, lighting, and fire protection. Additionally, the installation of the necessary equipment for the tunnel to be managed from the urban facilities control center will be included.
The execution project also includes improvements in playgrounds, equipment for physical exercise, lighting, and urban furniture in general, as well as in the materials and finishes of the urbanization. The dimensions of the green covers of the tunnel access and exit ramps will be increased, and the waterproofing system will be improved.
North end finishing of Paseo de la Castellana
The undergrounding will have a length of 675 meters and a width of 90 meters, generating a surface area of 70,000 m², which will allow the integration of the surroundings of the five towers and La Paz Hospital with the former San Cristóbal colony and the future business center of Madrid Nuevo Norte as a continuous single area. Additionally, the project will materialize the northern end of Paseo de la Castellana as the north-south structuring axis of the city. Once the tunnel is built, only public transport and local traffic for building access will circulate on the surface.
The space created above the tunnel will consist of several differentiated areas that together will form a new urban park with numerous stay, leisure, and walk areas, all connected in an accessible manner to both sides of Paseo de la Castellana. The creation of Parque Castellana will involve the planting of 787 new trees, which, combined with the existing ones, will total over a thousand. In addition, more than 38,000 shrubs will be added.
To integrate the entrances of the new tunnel, a gentle hill will be created in the south part of the area, on top of which stone benches will be installed. Moving northward, the descending part of the hill will be used to create several lines of stone steps in the form of tiers that will generate an outdoor theater-like space. Next to this area, a jet fountain will be built.
The new Parque Castellana will have a large central plaza in the shape of two contiguous circles surrounded by a grove. One circle will be completely clear, while the other will feature a pergola about 25 meters in diameter built with steel and wood, with trailing plants on top, alternating parallel and separate strips to project bands of light and shadow on the ground. Next to the central plaza, a pine forest will also include cypress, cedar, and oak trees. This urban forest will have a longitudinal path and several transverse paths, with areas for relaxation, a biosaludable circuit, children’s play areas, calisthenics zones, and a kiosk-cafeteria.
The final stretch of the area will be topped by a large elliptical monumental pergola that will combine ornamental function with technological capacity to produce energy through photovoltaic panels. Underneath, the only transverse passage for public transport and local traffic in the entire area will be provided. Also, under this structure, similar to the southern end, the north tunnel entrances will be integrated with a garden on their ramps. Additionally, a gardening corner and a small pavilion attached to it will be included, housing all the necessary components for the conversion and, if necessary, dumping into the grid of the photovoltaic installation of the technological pergola.
The new tunnel
The tunnel resulting from the new arrangement will concentrate underground traffic, allowing the continuity of the Castellana trunk to Nudo Norte and its connection through this node to other high-capacity roads as currently (M-30, M-607, A-1, and M-11). In the south, the entrance (or exit) to the tunnel will correspond to the current underpass that crosses the intersection with Calle Sinesio Delgado, while in the north, its end will be located next to La Paz Hospital, connecting directly to Nudo Norte. In addition to the north and south entrances, more entrance and exit ramps are planned from the axes of Sinesio Delgado, Monforte de Lemos, and access to Chamartín to ensure the current flows of the area and the connectivity of local roads with Nudo Norte.
The tunnel design has been done in two levels to minimize the impact on the existing tree cover and retain the highest number of specimens, especially the larger ones, such as the conifers located on the east side. This second level of the tunnel will be the one that, in the future, will connect Castellana with the Begoña neighborhood and the new development of Madrid Nuevo Norte, bypassing Nudo Norte. In this sense, this project plans to leave the infrastructure ready to execute this connection.
The new tunnel will have three lanes per direction, not counting the various accesses, exits, and links. On the other hand, the mentioned future extension will have a single span for two lanes.
Improvements on both sides of Paseo de la Castellana
The project also includes intervention on both sides of Paseo de la Castellana, which will ensure the connection with the central space generated above the tunnel. These works will include the creation of a bidirectional and segregated bike lane located next to the new park on its east side.
The works on the west side contemplate the paving of the public sidewalk that borders the five towers complex and the renewal of the roadway that runs along this road in a north-south direction, consisting of two lanes of circulation and a parallel parking area. On the east side, which will have two lanes (south-north), one of them exclusive for buses, and a parallel parking band, the sidewalk and roadway will also be renewed, including the establishment of different pedestrian crossings and bus shelters. Additionally, improvements will be made on the transversal streets of Daniel Vázquez Díaz, Manuel Caldeiro, Andrés Manjón, and Viejas. /
