Provincial Councils present the technical solutions for the Artaza (Getxo) and Ballonti (Sestao) roundabouts. On the Right Bank, the surroundings of the Artaza Park are spared with underground branches. An elevated “big loop” will be built on the left to relieve traffic from the Galindo roundabout.
The Provincial Council of Bizkaia today adopted the technical solutions opted for the left which will connect the three-meter tunnel under the Bilbao estuary between Artaza (Getxo) and balloonti (Sestaoo). These designs, chosen after an analysis of 30 possible alternatives, represent “a historic milestone” and solve two of the “critical points” of the road infrastructure, which in On operation in 2028after an investment of 400 million euros.
As explained by the Commissioner for Infrastructure and Territorial Development, Imanol Pradales, at the press conference on the right bank, the technical proposal makes it possible to reduce the complexity of the design in the environment of Artazaconditioned by the existence of a school, an institution, a park and houses, which “limit” that step. Pradales has emphasized that while works in that area will be “affected”, “finally they will” respect the current structure.
On Linkeroever, the most important novelty is the construction of “a big bow”” with an elevated structure that will allow traffic to divert from the Galindo roundabout and allow “smooth and direct access” for those coming to the tunnel from Cantabria via the A8.
Together with the second phase of Supersur, the tunnel is part of the total solution for reduction of congestion and “very high vulnerability” from Rontegi, through which an average of 155,000 vehicles per day pass through the transits between the A8, Avanzada and Txorierri. According to the calculations of the Diputación, this subluvial tunnel will receive an average of 51,000 vehicles and remove more than 18,000 vehicles from La Avanzada, 14,000 from the Max Center straight ahead and about 35,000 from Rontegi.
The regional delegate stressed that it is a “very complex project, because it crosses a river estuary, goes through a metropolitan environment and has needs but also limitations because space is what it is”.
What will be the connections to both banks of the Ría?
the link of right margin through the Artaza roundabout will allow the connection to the tunnel of the three main axes that converge in it: the highway of the Advanced from Bilbao, the Runner from Uribe Kosta and the extension of the Carretera de la Avanzada towards Zugazarte (Getxo).
The connection is made via junctions or branches of a lane that: they will run buried under the Artaza roundabout. In this way all connections to the tunnel are direct.
In the left marginwill the subfluvial tunnel exit the axis of the balloonti via the Nervacero roundabout and the A8 with the existing connections to Bilbao and Cantabria. In addition, a “big loop” of an elevated structure will be built that will allow the traffic of Portugalete-Sestao and the subfluvial-Sestao to avoid the Galindo roundabout, due to its connection to the South Metropolitan Bypass.
When asked what the next milestone in the construction project will be, Pradales assured that it will solve the tunnel’s multimodality, i.e.: how to integrate another kind public transport to road traffic already planned, for which “all alternatives” are considered.
Source: EITB
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