The municipal contracting board has selected Esteyco as the company to draft the construction project for the initial stage of this ambitious intervention. This first phase will focus on the river section between the Armiñán bridge and the El Perchel pedestrian walkway, near MUCAC-Mayoristas. The contract, pending documentation for formalization, amounts to 1,446,651.23 euros (VAT included) and has an execution period of 11 months. Notably, Esteyco was also responsible for the preliminary design that serves as the basis for this project.
The primary objective of this initiative is twofold: firstly, to enhance the city's safety against potential floods, and secondly, to facilitate connection between the river's two banks while renaturalizing the riverbed to create a green corridor.
The Regional Government of Andalusia will co-finance this project by 50%. The Andalusian Governing Council had already declared actions aimed at minimizing flood risk in this river section of regional interest on March 11th.
The first phase will concentrate on direct actions within the riverbed, including lowering its longitudinal profile to create a river park. Hydraulic capacity will be maintained, and safety measures against floods will be reinforced. The solution will be based on hydraulic modeling of the Guadalmedina as it passes through the urban area, promoted by Emasa and the Municipal Urban Planning Department, and has received approval from the Regional Directorate of Water Resources.
One of the most distinctive elements of the future transformation will be the creation of five new bridge-plazas. These structures will connect the two banks of the Guadalmedina between the Armiñán and Perchel bridges, generating new public spaces over the riverbed. The project also includes an irrigation system, reinforcement of existing structures, and connections to the urban road network.
It is important to note that the tunneling of traffic on the lateral avenues (Fátima, Pasillo de Santa Isabel, and Avenida de la Rosaleda) is not part of this initial phase or this specific contract, although it will be studied in conjunction with the design of the bridge-plazas and future boulevards to coordinate aspects such as paving, vegetation, lighting, and urban furniture.
The contract includes a citizen participation plan to gather proposals from residents during the project's development. Workshops, surveys, conferences, a website, and social media are planned to allow citizens to contribute their ideas and suggestions regarding the proposed actions.
