The expansion and duplication works of the Diagonal Avenue collector, between Paseo Sant Joan and Girona street, are already 72% executed. From now on, the works will focus on the two ends of the avenue, right next to Girona street on one side, and on Paseo de Sant Joan, on the other. Currently, operations are also underway in the Diagonal-Bailèn-Mallorca area. The next step will be to expand the work area to Plaza de Francesc Macià, where the collector will end.
The work began in November 2020 and the estimated duration for its completion was 14 months, so it was calculated to be finished in January 2022. Now, those responsible for the operation have set December 21 as a symbolic date to finish it, and for this reason it is expected that before Christmas, traffic will be restored to the area.
The collector operations are part of the Pla Director Integral de Sanejament de Barcelona (PDISBA), with which the Barcelona City Council committed to comply with the Declaració d'Emergència Climàtica. The objective is to extend the useful life of the city's sewage system, adapt it to the possible consequences of climate change (such as floods), and improve the conservation and cleaning of the existing collector.
The new pipe is being built parallel to the existing one, and would only come into operation when the old one was overflowed by rain. The length of the duplication being built is 309 meters. Thanks to this expansion, the maximum water flow in this section will increase, going from the current 96 m³ per second to 160 m³ per second, as reported by the consistory.
In this sense, it will especially improve the management of water in the Eixample and Gràcia neighborhoods, one of the most critical areas. Additionally, the project also contemplates the construction of a third collector, 0.6 m wide and 1.65 m high, which will collect wastewater from homes and sewers. This action is practically finished.
The expansion of the Diagonal collector is key for the union of the Trambaix and the Trambesòs along Diagonal, which cannot be carried out until the improvement of the sewage system is completed, since once the tram infrastructure is implemented, it would not be possible to carry out works of this scope.
The municipal project has been carried out through the municipal company Barcelona Cicle de l'Aigua (BCASA), in collaboration with the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), and the works, with a total budget of 7.7 million euros, are being executed by BIMSA.