Sometimes roads are wounds in urban planning, in this case the M-40 divides two areas of Madrid that have been demanding a pedestrian link for decades. Ahora Madrid will respond to the request with the installation of a pedestrian and cyclist footbridge that will connect the districts of Puente de Vallecas and Villa de Vallecas. This infrastructure, more than 100 meters long, is set to transform the life of the Palomeras Sureste neighborhood, allowing safe transit on foot and by bicycle and linking it directly to the Green Cycle Ring. It is a response to one of the main neighborhood demands: to facilitate access between the two sides of the highway, which until now has been complicated and dangerous.
The installation of the footbridge implies a total traffic cut on the M-40 between the night of Friday, August 8 and the afternoon of Saturday, August 9, from the intersection with the M-31, at the Pozo del Tío Raimundo road, to the A-3. In order to minimize the inconvenience to drivers, the City Council, together with the General Traffic Department, will establish alternative detours along the large surrounding ring roads (A-3, M-31 and M-45). Beyond the punctuality of the cut, the action means reopening the neighborhood to the city with new possibilities for sustainable travel.
The creation of this walkway is part of the South Campus works and the DEMO 360 Vallecas Area project. The mission of this intervention is to regenerate urban areas that are normally not so well attended by the City Council, to promote sustainability and to turn Vallecas into a zero-emissions neighborhood model, in line with the Madrid Nuevo Norte strategy. In addition to this mobility infrastructure, the project includes the creation of new green areas, housing, public and private facilities, spaces for economic activity, a research campus and a student residence.