Madrid finally has a plan on the table for one of its historic trouble spots, the Puente de Vallecas, but it won’t be the one many residents dreamed of: the M-30 “Slot Car Track” will remain in place. The City Council has presented Vallecas Abierto, an 11.5-million-euro project that promises more crosswalks, green spaces, and a major renovation under the bridge, while criticism mounts over the decision to keep the 20 traffic lanes separating Retiro from Puente de Vallecas intact.
The project presented by José Luis Martínez-Almeida will transform nearly 24,000 square meters of public space around the Puente de Vallecas, the last major “Scalextric” track remaining in Madrid. It does not touch the elevated structure of the M-30, but it does address everything that happens beneath and around it: Monte Oliveti Street will be pedestrianized, sidewalks will be widened, five new crosswalks will be created (four between Retiro and Puente de Vallecas and one on Avenida de la Albufera), and bus bays will be reorganized to gain an additional 3,770 square meters of pedestrian space.
The project also includes planting 48 new trees, thousands of shrubs, and installing vertical gardens along 750 meters of the M-30, in an effort to soften the visual impact of the viaduct. Plans call for the construction of public facilities under the bridge—the possibility of EMT offices has been mentioned—and improvements to lighting and street furniture, with benches and gathering areas where today there is only noise, concrete, and exhaust fumes.
A more pedestrian-friendly “corridor,” but with 20 lanes
The delegate for Public Works and Infrastructure, Paloma García Romero, and Almeida himself are promoting Vallecas Abierto as a way to “eliminate the border effect” of the Scalextric-like highway without demolishing it, relying on the technical argument that the bridge carries 300,000 vehicles a day and that Metro Line 1 runs beneath it. In her words, taking action on the infrastructure would be “unfeasible” today, both economically and operationally, so the priority is to “improve the pedestrian experience” as much as possible.
However, the detail that has made the most headlines is the mayor’s response when asked how many lanes will be removed: “none.” The plan maintains up to 20 traffic lanes in the area, including main sections, side roads, and interchanges, and focuses on “surface-level” improvements: new crosswalks, green spaces, paving, and aesthetics.
Schedule and cost of the works
Vallecas Abierto involves a total investment of just over 11.5 million euros, distributed across several initiatives. The main component, managed by the Department of Public Works, focuses on the development under the bridge and its immediate surroundings, with an estimated budget of 6.5 million; the remainder will be allocated to pedestrianization, landscaping, and improvements to the access roads.
The City Council is working with a long timeline: construction is expected to begin in September and continue through the summer of 2028, in parallel with other major road projects such as the Paseo Verde del Suroeste or the transformation of Ventas. This means that Puente de Vallecas will experience several years of trenches, detours, and traffic changes before seeing the final result.
Neighborhood criticism… and the storm at X
While the City Council presents Vallecas Abierto as a historic opportunity for urban regeneration, the reaction on X has been far less enthusiastic. Users, neighborhood groups, and urban planning experts have spent hours sharing renderings and plans with comments ranging from skepticism to anger.
Criticism centers on several points. First, the complete preservation of the “Scalextric” and its 20 lanes, which many consider the root of the air and noise pollution problem in the area. The perception of a “green facelift”: vertical gardens and shrubs without any structural changes to the heavy traffic carried by the M-30. And finally, the fact that the Puente de Vallecas City Council approved a proposal in 2023 to demolish the bridge, while Cibeles now insists that “there is no news” regarding its dismantling.