The newly remodelled section of Av. Meridiana has more spaces for people to get around on foot, with a central section 9.5 metres wide that includes a segregated two-way bike lane, 4.3 metres wide, a parterre of 2.6 metres on each side and a row of large trees and lighting.

Pedestrian mobility has also been improved with curbless paving and priority at the intersections with the streets of Nació, Trinxant (side nearest the sea), Múrcia and Palència, and new pedestrian crossings to improve connections across the avenue.

To create more space for local people and bicycles, a traffic lane has been eliminated in each direction, as have bike lanes currently located on pavements. The new Meridiana also has two bike lanes for general traffic and one for buses and taxis on each side.

Transformation in stages

With work concluding in the district of Sant Martí, the project moves onto Sant Andreu, with a new section reaching as far as C/ Felip II, which is currently in the drafting stage. The citizen participation platform Decidim Barcelona centralises proposals from local people and provides information on meetings to define the project, with citizens invited to get involved.

All the work completed along 1.7 kilometres of the avenue will mean 94,000 square metres of space will have been freed up, 560 trees and 10,000 square metres of parterres and greenery added. The overall investment will be 28.4 million euros, 6 million of which will come from the EU’s Next Generation funds.

The transformation continues with the section which reaches Fabra i Puig, with the draft project to follow for the next section from Fabra i Puig as far as the Sarajevo bridge. The participatory process to gather proposals and input from local people and organisations will continue in this stage.