Barcelona to Replace 1888 Steps on Lluís Companys With Accessible Ramp
Barcelona will replace steps on Passeig de Lluís Companys with a ramp next spring, move crosswalks and cut short-stay coach parking by the Arc de Triomf.
The Ajuntament de Barcelona (Barcelona City Council) plans to tear out a flight of steps on Passeig de Lluís Companys, the boulevard that runs down from the Arc de Triomf, and replace it with a ramp so that people with reduced mobility can reach the central walkway. The works are scheduled for next spring and will also reorganize coach parking at the lower end of the passeig, according to El Periódico.
The project is limited to three spots covering 250 square metres, a small fraction of the boulevard. The city expects the job to take three and a half months, with a budget of 196.240,96 euros. The plan is currently on public display, the stage before the contract is awarded.
Steps left over from the 1888 Universal Exhibition
The boulevard was remodeled almost 140 years ago to serve as the entrance to the grounds of the 1888 Universal Exhibition, and the steps date from that work. On the Llobregat side, the walkway sits higher than the road, and the gap is crossed by steps at five points. The Besòs side has no such height difference between the pavement and the central section.
The flight to be removed lies behind the balustrade near Carrer del Comerç. It climbs more than a metre between the walkway and the pavement, which the project says “prevents the passage of people with reduced mobility.” The replacement ramp will have a slope of under 6%. The balustrade and its cast-iron railing from 1887 will stay in place, and because the boulevard has heritage protection, the project describes the change as discreet and reversible.
Crosswalks moved and a new signal at Almogàvers
The longer ramp behind the balustrade means pedestrian crossings have to change. On the Llobregat side, two zebra crossings will be removed and merged into a single crossing with traffic lights between two entrances to the walkway.
On the Besòs side, the city plans a new signal-controlled crossing at Carrer d’Almogàvers. The existing crossing at Carrer de Buenaventura Muñoz will shift so it lines up with an entrance to the boulevard.
Less short-stay space for coaches
At the end of the passeig, the coach bays will be reordered to make room for construction of the new Audiencia de Barcelona (the provincial court building), which is due to start going up in 2028, and for rehabilitation work around the small square Placeta Vicenç Albert Ballester. The short-stay stopping area for coaches will disappear. Its space will go to parking for bicycles and motorcycles and to a loading and unloading zone for deliveries. Long-stay coach parking stays where it is.
What it means for people using the boulevard
For wheelchair users, parents with pushchairs and anyone who struggles with stairs, the ramp opens a direct route onto the Llobregat-side walkway at Comerç. Pedestrians on both sides will find crossings in new positions, including traffic lights at Almogàvers where there were none.
Tour operators and coach drivers who use the short-stay bays near the Arc de Triomf will lose them, although the long-stay area remains. Residents and visitors who park bikes or motorcycles nearby will gain space.
How the works will run
The city will carry out the work in two phases so that pedestrians, vehicles and bus lines can keep moving through the area during construction. The contract still has to be awarded once the public display period ends, and no exact start date has been announced beyond next spring.
Source: El Periódico
