As of September 2, work begins on the lower section of Via Laietana, between the Antoni Maura square and the Idrissa Diallo and Correus squares. This second and final phase is expected to last 21 months, until June 2025.
The intervention will begin with some preliminary work that must necessarily be done at night. Afterwards, the service network will be improved and renovated, which is highly complex, given the large number of pipes and existing infrastructures in the subsoil and, lastly, redevelopment.
Thus, as of Saturday, September 2, circulation on Vía Laietana in the mountain direction, from Idrissa Diallo square, will be cut off. Access to the market, car parks, fords and services must be done from the Urquinaona square, in the direction of the sea.
As of Monday, September 4, the buses that circulate along Vía Laietana recover the effects they had until now: in the mountain direction they maintain the detour of the route through p.º Picasso and p.º Lluís Companys, while in Sea direction circulate normally.
The only exception will be the neighborhood bus 120, which loses the stops it has on Vía Laietana, in the direction of the mountain, and modifies its itinerary. The alternative route, in this sense, will be av. Marquès de l'Argentera, p.º Picasso, p.º Pujades and p.º Lluís Companys, from where he will turn to recover his journey in Commerce. You will find all the information on the bus stops on the TMB website.
Both the Santa Caterina Market and the shops around Vía Laietana will continue to offer the usual service during the works. In the same way, the loading and unloading areas of the adjacent streets will continue to function as before.
All the information on the works can be consulted on the specific website for Vía Laietana of the Works Information Service.
A more sustainable and friendly way
The transformation of Vía Laietana aims to achieve an avenue where pedestrians and sustainable mobility are prioritized: a greener street, with less noise and pollution, and more space to walk and enjoy local commerce.
The second phase of the works continues the project started in the first phase, which reduces the circulation lanes for private traffic: in the downward direction there will be a shared lane for buses and bicycles and a circulation lane limited to 30 km/h, while in the ascending direction there will be a lane for buses and taxis that the neighborhood can also use, and next to the sidewalk there will be a bike lane segregated from traffic.
To achieve a friendlier walk, the sidewalks will be widened so that they are all longer than 4 meters and the pedestrian crossings will be relocated and widened in order to improve the connection between the Gòtic and Sant Pere, Santa Caterina i la Ribera neighborhoods. . In addition, four large spaces are being strengthened along the street: the space that joins the new Jonqueres street, a large square in Antoni Maura that connects the Cathedral and the Santa Caterina Market, Plaça del Àngel and Plaça de Idrissa Diallo.
