An iceberg on Diagonal, by Eva Arderius

The launch of the tram between Glòries and Verdaguer marks the completion of works that have transformed the Up and Down of this section of Diagonal Avenue. Some works that began exactly four years ago, in November 2020, underground and have ended on the surface

UP

Last Sunday this new route was launched, without making too much noise and without even inauguration, curious if we take into account that the tram has been the most debated, most criticized and most analyzed infrastructure in history. It was the users who gave the approval. On the first day, validations grew by 40%, many neighbors had the pleasure of making their first trips after experiencing the works in front of their house. And during the week, the curious have been joined by travelers who will use the tram for their usual journeys.

Mobility on this stretch of Diagonal Avenue has changed for everyone. For cars, about 2,000 according to the City Council’s calculations, they have had to find alternatives; for cyclists, who pedal along new, spacious lanes that allow them to make imaginary races with the trams that pass by them. But it has also changed for pedestrians: they now have wide sidewalks, with light and, above all, without noise. Everything looks brighter and a clearer and greener avenue has been left that allows us to discover the buildings that were hidden. Now it really seems like you are walking down a noble avenue like Diagonal. This is no longer a second-class stretch. The change is so devastating that it is very difficult to defend that the before was better.

DOWN

But these works are like an iceberg. What you see on the surface is a small part of what lies beneath. Four years ago the machines broke the asphalt with the aim of completing the most collector tram pack. A pharaonic infrastructure that allows drainage capacity to be increased by 70%. This extension of the collector has to continue in the direction of Francesc Macià (like the tram) and is one of the most important works in the city. To give us an idea, it could manage half the flow of the Ebro as it passes through Tortosa, and thus, in the event of torrential rains, greatly minimize the risk of flooding.

Barcelona has been getting its act together for a long time, Ramon Suñé explained it very well last week in his article “Blessed stormwater tanks.” Collectors and stormwater tanks, silent, little-known infrastructures that make few headlines and probably don’t get votes But infrastructure is more necessary than ever if we take into account what has happened in Valencia and if we take into account our nomenclature. In Barcelona there are more than twenty streets that have the word torrent, a dozen with the word riera and a dozen. of ramblas. So two ideas to finish: the works on Diagonal will not be spared from us, they are not only for the tram, they are for the collector; and another idea, it is better to continue being safe than sorry.