WBA reorders the steps of the medians in the Barcelona Rounds
The Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB) already has the steps to follow to remodel the steps of the medians of the Barcelona ring roads. The purpose of rearranging these elements is to improve the safety of the thousands of drivers who pass through these roads every day, as well as to increase the level of containment of the protection barriers and make it easier for emergency services to access tunnels over 500 meters long, in case of an accident.
The ring roads of Barcelona currently have 44 median crossings, interruptions in the median between both directions of traffic on a road with segregated carriageways, which are very useful in unique cases such as when there is a large influx of traffic in one direction and it is enabled a new one in the opposite direction, or in cases of emergency.
After carrying out a study to verify the functionality of the service structures, AMB concludes two main points. In the first place, the definitive closure of 29 measurement steps that have no function or meaning; and, secondly, the adaptation, improvement and rearrangement of the remaining 15 steps. The vast majority of these are installed less than 500 meters from the entrance or exit of a tunnel.
The fortnight of steps to measure, are differentiated by a length of 40 meters (5 of them), whose purpose is to optimize the maintenance and operation of these roads, allowing the addition of a traffic diversion when asphalting tasks are carried out, among others. . The remaining 10 steps are 12 meters long and are located near the mouths of tunnels over 500 meters long and facilitate the passage of emergency services when accidents occur.
To check the viability of these changes, AMB is carrying out a pilot test with one of these steps, specifically one located in the Ronda de Dalt, on the Cervantes Park. The works have a budget of €115,000 and allow the level of containment to be increased. In short, the action consists of removing the green elements that differentiate communication between both directions and placing metal barriers with a door system.