Benidorm will pause current works on Paseo de Levante due to the approaching summer season. Starting June 12th, renovation work on the second phase of the overhead electrical lines will be temporarily halted so that residents of the area do not have to cope with construction in an area experiencing a significant inflow of people.
The decision was made during a meeting with municipal officials, Elecnor, and project management, according to a report by Councillor for Public Space, Francis Muñoz, yesterday, Wednesday May 28th.
The works were awarded in March for a total of 854,885.07 euros in European funds, with an execution duration of eight months, excluding the two and a half months of suspension.
The Councillor for Public Space reported that he visited the work on Wednesday and found it progressing favourably. So far, the work has coexisted with the pedestrian flow characteristic of the promenade, “but now there is a significant peak in tourists, and the decision has been made to temporarily suspend the work to avoid compromising the safety of the work and pedestrians while protecting our tourism.” The unplanned suspension will span from June 12th to September 1st.
Muñoz stated that the work done thus far will be integrated into the promenade. Before ceasing, we will apply a layer of mortar to the column support points for walking. Fences and stacked materials will be removed to make the promenade as useful and comfortable as feasible.”
It’s worth noting that this phase of the catenary renovation encompasses the area between Avenida de Europa (where the first phase was completed) and Calle Metge Miguel Martorell. On this issue, Muñoz once again bemoaned that “while the local government fulfils its commitments to the city and its citizens, the central government continues to neglect its responsibilities by failing to execute this project, which, by its authority, should be its responsibility.”
The councillor noted that the current public lighting and overhead cables on the Levante Promenade “were installed in the 1990s, as part of the construction of the Levante Beach Promenade, through a tender implemented at the time by the Ministry of Public Works, Transport, and the Environment.”
Energy Efficiency
Muñoz recalled that three decades later, “and faced with the need to renew the entire infrastructure both due to the passage of time and to adapt to more modern and energy-efficient technologies,” the City Council carried out the works on the first phase of the project, on the section from Plaza del Torrejó to Avenida de Europa, with an investment of €1,972,119.41, financed entirely by municipal resources, and has resulted in a reduction in energy output of more.
In this regard, the councillor noted that the Levante catenary has already earned the city prizes and recognition, “such as the one we received in Madrid from the EnerTic platform for the iconic nature of the project and its energy efficiency.”
Third phase of draughting
Francis Muñoz, who specified that the project for the third phase of the catenary renovation “is in the draughting phase,” took the opportunity to apologise for any inconvenience this work may have caused to pedestrians, but the shared goal is to complete it so we can have a renovated, functional, and iconic catenary.”
This effort is being carried out through the Benidorm Visión 360 Sustainable Tourism Destination Plan, which is part of the European Union-funded Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan (NextGenerationEU).
Author: Derek Appleton
No Comment! Be the first one.