Madrid is facing one of the most ambitious urban transformations in its recent history. In 2026 it will inaugurate the new Paseo Verde del Suroeste tunnel, an infrastructure that promises to completely change mobility between the districts of Latina, Moncloa-Aravaca and the city center. This project, which is part of the undergrounding of the A-5 highway, seeks to reconnect historically divided neighborhoods and recover the area currently occupied by traffic to be used for parks and pedestrian areas.
The tunnel will be approximately 3.2 kilometers long, extending between Avenida de Portugal and Padre Piquer, and will have three lanes in each direction, plus a central reversible bus-VAO lane that will be activated depending on traffic. This solution will make it possible to adapt the capacity of the road to peak hours, prioritizing public transport. Its direct connection with the M-30 subways will consolidate a continuous network of urban tunnels that will facilitate access from southwestern municipalities such as Móstoles, Alcorcón or Navalcarnero to the center of the capital without the need to travel on the surface.
The impact of this work will be significant. According to the City Council’s estimates, the undergrounding will reduce surface traffic by 90%, almost completely eliminating traffic jams and the constant noise suffered by neighborhoods such as Puerta del Ángel, Lucero, Aluche or Campamento. In its place, more than 80,000 square meters of green areas and tree-lined walkways will be created, including the planting of some 7,000 trees and the creation of a bicycle lane that will run along the new landscaped promenade until it connects with the Green Cycle Ring.
Paseo Verde del Suroeste: new life for these neighborhoods
The project, with a total budget of more than 400 million euros, is being carried out by a team of 600 workers and more than a hundred machines. The works are being carried out using the “cut and cover” excavation system, which combines speed and feasibility in dense urban environments. At present, more than 80 % of the piles have been completed, and the tunnel structure is beginning to take visible shape on the ground.
Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida has described the intervention as “the great work of the last two decades,” stressing that its scheduled opening in November 2026 will mark a before and after in Madrid’s mobility. “The neighbors will go from having a highway under their homes to enjoying a green boulevard,” he stressed during a recent visit to the works accompanied by Borja Carabante, Urban Planning delegate.
Beyond improving traffic, the new tunnel aims to repair an urban wound that has been open for half a century: the gap that the A-5 has created between the southwest neighborhoods and the rest of the city. The Paseo Verde del Suroeste will be a continuous space for coexistence, sports and nature, a new gateway to Madrid designed for citizens and not for cars.